The right support is a team effort
Supporting students throughout their time at Trinity is a priority across the School’s community. Whether it’s practical support, academic support, or emotional support, teams are on the lookout for students who need a helping hand and have many different methods of delivering the support needed.
Ms Simone McCann is one of the School Counsellors based at Trinity’s Summer Hill campus. Within her role, she helps to provide some of this support through scheduled counselling sessions with students, meeting with teachers and parents to discuss support options, consultations with external agencies to ensure consistency of care outside of the School, and responding to urgent mental health and child protection matters.
“What I love most about my job is that no two days look the same,” Simone says. “The role can vary so much depending on the need within the community.”
This versatility and variety is what drew Simone to work at Trinity in the first place.
“I was really impressed with the way Trinity spoke about acknowledging the importance of seeing students as a whole person and supporting them not just from an academic or performance perspective, but providing holistic support around their wellbeing too.
“The students I’ve worked with have been really engaged and committed to the counselling process – it’s really rewarding to be a part of destigmatising support seeking with young men.”
While not new to the role of School Counsellor, Simone appreciates all the things that are put into place for her own support as she grows in her professional career and looks to do her best work with the students.
“I’ve taken the opportunity to learn from my new colleagues’ experience,” she says. “There is an openness which has felt so welcoming and warm. Working in a counselling team, with collaboration and debrief, makes for a really lovely working environment. Regular staff morning teas have also encouraged carving out time in the day to connect with colleagues – which is so important for relationship building.”
Every student that walks through the doors at Trinity is unique, with his own set of talents, passions, frustrations and stresses. Simone is proud to be a part of supporting each student as they grow and thrive.
For herself, she is also looking to grow in her own career. Having recently completed her Masters in Social Work, Simone is looking forward to starting some new study and she already has some ideas.
“I’m particularly interested in diving deeper into counselling interventions, neurodevelopment, and temperament,” she says.
Regardless of what’s next, she’s glad to be working and learning alongside a great team at Trinity who are committed to providing the best possible support for students.
Want to know more about working at Trinity? Check out all the employment opportunities available.
