COVID-19: Experiences and strategies of secondary school counsellors in the 2021 Auckland lockdown.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24135/nzjc.v42i1.5Keywords:
school counsellor, secondary school students, lockdown, COVID-19, counselling strategiesAbstract
This article reports the findings from a facilitated peer group discussion among secondary school counsellors on 4 October 2021 during the most prolonged lockdown in Auckland since the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. With the first author as facilitator, four participants (co-authors of this paper) discussed the psychosocial effect of the lockdown on the wellbeing of secondary school students. These included increased anxiety and constant low mood, issues related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the use of devices for education and communication, complex dynamics at home, and the different challenges and demands on counsellors that resulted from these effects. The participants also shared counselling strategies they had used in lockdown to work as effectively as possible for their clients. These included intentional therapeutic approaches that were flexible and creative, resilience building, and collaboration with the wider community of care. The counsellors also reflected on their selfcare strategies to prevent burnout and the silver linings they perceived from COVID-19.
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