School-based counselling is one of the most common mental health provisions for children and young people in the UK, but what is it, and what does it do?  Based on the latest research evidence, this seminar offers a state-of-the-art review of counselling in UK secondary schools. It looks at what school counselling is; what the latest evidence tells us about its process and outcomes; and recent developments in policy, training, and research.

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Comprehend the nature and provision of counselling in UK secondary schools

  • Recognise competences and practices in school-based humanistic counselling

  • Describe the evidence on the effectiveness of school-based humanistic counselling

  • Recognise processes of change in school-based humanistic counselling, and the limitations of this approach

  • Comprehend current policy, training, and research developments in UK school counselling.

 

Format

This seminar is typically delivered as a one or two hour lecture/keynote presentation, with Q&A.

The lecture is appropriate for professionals and policy-makers with an interest in children and young people's mental health.

 

Resources

 

Books

 

Research publications

Cooper, M., Saxon, D., Duncan, C., Scruggs, R., Barkham, M., Bower, P., Cromarty, K., Pearce, P., & Stafford, M. R. Therapist Interpersonal Skills and Outcomes for Young People. Psychotherapy Research, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2025.2457398

Cooper, M., Smith, S., Sumner, A. L., Eilenberg, J., Childs-Fegredo, J., Kelly, S., Subramanian, P., Holmes, J., Barkham, M., Bower, P., Cromarty, K., Duncan, C., Hughes, S., Pearce, P., Rameswari, T., Ryan, G., Saxon, D., & Stafford, M. R. (2025). Humanistic therapy for young people: Client-perceived helpful aspects, hindering aspects, and processes of change. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02955-3

O'Donnell, J., Sumner, A. L., Smith, S., Eilenberg, J., Duncan, C., & Cooper, M. (2024). School staff perceptions of the impact of school counselling on young people, the school and integration into the school system. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12845

Pattison, E., & Cooper, M. (2024). Dissatisfied dropout from school-based humanistic counselling: A theory-building case series. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12743

Raynham, H., Cooper, M., Hayes, J., Rae, J., & Pearce, P. (2024). Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling and pastoral care as usual: analysis of qualitative data from the experience of service questionnaire. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 28(4), 234-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2023.2276022

Duncan, C., Saxon, D., & Cooper, M. (2022). Test-retest stability, convergent validity, and sensitivity to change for the Goal-Based Outcome tool for adolescents: analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23422

Longhurst, P., Sumner, A. L., Smith, S., Eilenberg, J., Duncan, C., & Cooper, M. (2022). ‘They need somebody to talk to’: Parents' and carers' perceptions of school-based humanistic counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(3), 667-677. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12496

Ralph, S., & Cooper, M. (2022). Brief humanistic counselling with an adolescent client experiencing obsessive compulsive difficulties: A theory-building case study. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(3), 748-759. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12499

Cooper, M., Stafford, M. R., Saxon, D., Beecham, J., Bonin, E.-M., Barkham, M., Bower, P., Cromarty, K., Duncan, C., Pearce, P., Rameswari, T., & Ryan, G. (2021). Humanistic counselling plus pastoral care as usual versus pastoral care as usual for the treatment of psychological distress in adolescents in UK state schools (ETHOS): A randomised controlled trial. Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 5(3), 178-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30363-1

Duncan, C., Rayment, B., Kenrick, J., & Cooper, M. (2020). Counselling for young people and young adults in the voluntary and community sector: An overview of the demographic profile of clients and outcomes. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 93(1), 36-53. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/papt.12206

Farr, J., Di Malta, G. S., & Cooper, M. (2020). Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of Counselling in a Community Mental Health Setting: Pitfalls and Learnings. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 20, 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12262

Cooper, M., Duncan, B. L., Golden, S., & Toth, K. (2019). Systematic client feedback in therapy for children with psychological difficulties: Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1647142

Cooper, M., van Rijn, B., & Chryssafidou, E. (2019). Avatar-based counselling for psychological distress in secondary school pupils: pilot evaluation. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 47(4), 446-459. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1506567

van Rijn, B., Cooper, M., & Chryssafidou, E. (2018). Avatar-based counselling for young people within school counselling. Qualitative analysis of client experience. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 18(1), 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12155

Stafford, M. R., Cooper, M., Barkham, M., Beecham, J., Bower, P., Cromarty, K., Fugard, A. J. B., Jackson, C., Pearce, P., Ryder, R., and Street, C. (2018). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of humanistic counselling in schools for young people with emotional distress (ETHOS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 19(1), 175. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2538-2

Pearce, P., Sewell, R., Cooper, M., Osman, S., Fugard, A. J. B., & Pybis, J. (2017). Effectiveness of school-based humanistic counselling for psychological distress in young people: Pilot randomized controlled trial with follow-up in an ethnically diverse sample. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 90(2), 138-155. doi: 10.1111/papt.12102

Cooper, M., Evans, Y., & Pybis, J. (2016). Interagency collaboration in children and young people’s mental health: A systematic review of outcomes, facilitating factors and inhibiting factors. Child: Care, health and development.  42(3), 325-342.  doi: 10.1111/cch.12322.

McArthur, K., Cooper, M., & Berdondini, L. (2016). Change processes in school-based humanistic counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 16(2), 88-99. doi: 10.1002/capr.12061

Twigg, E., Cooper, M., Evans, C., Freire, E., Mellor-Clark, J., McInnes, B., & Barkham, M. (2016). Acceptability, reliability, referential distributions and sensitivity to change in the Young Person's Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (YP-CORE) outcome measure: replication and refinement. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 21(2), 115-123. doi: 10.1111/camh.12128

Cooper, M., Fugard, A. J. B., Pybis, J., McArthur, K., & Pearce, P. (2015). Estimating effectiveness of school-based counselling: Using data from controlled trials to predict improvement over non-intervention change. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 15(4), 262-273. doi: 10.1002/capr.12017

Daniunaite, A., Cooper, M., & Forster, T. (2015). Counselling in UK primary schools: Outcomes and predictors of change. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 15(4), 251-261. doi: 10.1002/capr.12016

Cooper, M., McGinnis, S., & Carrick, L. (2014). School-based humanistic counselling for psychological distress in young people: A practice research network to address the attrition problem. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. doi 10.1080/14733145.2014.929415

Jackson, C., Pybis, J., Cooper, M., Hill, A., Cromarty, K., & Rogers, J. (2014). Users of secondary school-based counselling services and specialist CAMHS in Wales: A comparison study. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 14(4), 315-325. doi: 10.1080/14733145.2013.838596

Pybis, J., Cooper, M., Cromarty, K., Hill, A., Levensley, R., Murdoch, J., & Turner, N. (2014). Small scale randomised controlled trial of school-based counselling for psychological distress in young people: Outcomes and methodological reflections. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research.  doi: 10.1080/14733145.2014.905614

Rupani, P., Cooper, M., McArthur, K., Pybis, J., Cromarty, K., Hill, A., . . . Turner, N. (2014). The goals of young people in school-based counselling and their achievement of these goals. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 14(4), 306-314. doi: 10.1080/14733145.2013.816758

Cooper, M., Pybis, J., Hill, A., Jones, S., & Cromarty, K. (2013). Therapeutic outcomes in the Welsh Government's school-based counselling strategy: An evaluation. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 13(2), 86-97.

Cooper, M., Stewart, D., Sparks, J. A., & Bunting, L. (2013). School-based counseling using systematic feedback : a cohort study evaluating outcomes and predictors of change. Psychotherapy Research, 23(4), 474-488.

McArthur, K., Cooper, M., & Berdondini, L. (2013). School-based humanistic counseling for psychological distress in young people: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research, 23(3), 355-365.

Daniunaite, A., Ahmad Ali, Z., & Cooper, M. (2012). Psychological change in distressed young people who do not receive counselling: does improvement happen anyway? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(5), 515-525.

Killips, C., Cooper, M., Freire, E., & McGinnis, S. (2012). Motivation as a predictor of outcomes in school-based humanistic counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 12(2), 93-99.

Lynass, R., Pykhtina, O., & Cooper, M. (2012). A thematic analysis of young people’s experience of counselling in five secondary schools across the UK. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 12(1), 53-62.

Pybis, J., Hill, A., Cooper, M., & Cromarty, K. (2012). A comparative analysis of the attitudes of key stakeholder groups to the Welsh Government's school-based counselling strategy. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(5), 485-498.

Rupani, P., Haughey, N., & Cooper, M. (2012). The impact of school-based counselling on young people's capacity to study and learn. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(5), 499-514.

Cooper, M., Rowland, N., McArthur, K., Pattison, S., Cromarty, K., & Richards, K. (2010). Randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counselling for emotional distress in young people: Feasibility study and preliminary indications of efficacy. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 4(1), 1-12.

Cooper, M. (2009). Counselling in UK secondary schools: A comprehensive review of audit and evaluation studies Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 9(3), 137-150.

Twigg, E., Barkham, M., Bewick, B. M., Mulhern, B., Connell, J., & Cooper, M. (2009). The Young Person’s CORE: Development of a brief outcome measure for young people. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 9(3), 160-168.

 

 

Videos

Presentation on counselling in UK secondary schools

IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS - WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH TELL US? This conference was organised by researchers in the Anxiety and Depression in Young People (AnDY) Research Unit in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading, in conjunction with the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust and the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition.
How does Carl Rogers explain human development? This short video presents the person-centred theory of how people grow up, how things can go wrong, and how p...