Contents:
Summary
This research examines the challenges and needs of school counsellors in Romania, with a focus on mental health support for students. Using data collected from two focus groups with 12 school counsellors, the report identifies major challenges they face, such as excessive bureaucracy, insufficient human and material resources, lack of clarity about the role of the school counsellor, and barriers to working with parents. These issues have a significant impact on the ability of school counsellors to respond effectively to students’ needs. The proposed solutions focus on improving their support through ongoing training and the provision of additional educational resources. At the same time, the research emphasises the need for adequate support for school counsellors so that they can actively contribute to the promotion of adolescent mental health in Romanian schools.
Introduction
There are currently approximately 4 million children (0-18 years old) living in Romania, representing 21% of the population. A 2020 study of 10,114 adolescents showed that 48.9% had suicidal thoughts, 27.1% feel constantly sad, and 21.5% recently experienced depression (Copăceanu, 2020). The suicide rate among adolescents under 15 is higher than the European average, a difference that can be associated with several factors, such as parents leaving to work abroad (Dumitru et al., 2019). School and online bullying affects hundreds of thousands of students annually: 49% are victims of physical and online violence, 82% are witnesses, and 27% admit to having committed such acts (Salvați Copiii, 2023). These difficulties can have long-term effects on mental health, increasing the risks of depression, anxiety, and low performance in adult life (Clarke & Lovewell, 2021). Improving mental health is essential for personal development and achieving positive outcomes in education, career, and health (Durlak et al., 2011; OECD, 2015).
However, adolescents’ access to accurate information about mental health and treatment options remains limited. A study by the Salvați Copiii organization (2010) shows that many children are identified with mental disorders upon entering the education system, and teaching staff and school counsellors are essential in this process. Unfortunately, students often face stigmatization and marginalization, and teachers lack the necessary resources to address the subject in class, although they play a crucial role in discussing the situation with parents and facilitating access to specialized services. The lack of open dialogue in the educational environment contributes to the risk of marginalization and school dropout, highlighting the need for such initiatives.
In other countries, psychoeducational interventions in the classroom have received considerable attention, with a consensus that schools are an ideal setting for educating students about mental health. Schools provide access to large numbers of young people and are concerned about their well-being, supporting them in developing self-identity and encouraging social support (Patalay et al., 2017; Kutcher et al., 2016). They are also excellent spaces for raising families’ awareness of children’s mental health (Patalay et al., 2017). School staff play an important role in building supportive relationships with students and creating an inclusive and safe learning environment essential for mental health.
Within the Romanian education system, school counsellors play a crucial role in promoting mental health among students. Their roles include planning and implementing individual or group educational counselling activities and psychoeducation activities, with the aim of helping students develop mental health management skills. Therefore, school counsellors are fundamental pillars for psychoeducation interventions in schools because they contribute to forming a culture of mental health and providing resources to cope with stress and anxiety, thus supporting students’ emotional well-being and academic performance.
Since 2021, Mental Health for Romania has supported over 4500 students through the project “Let’s Bring Mental Health to Schools,” within which interactive psychoeducation workshops were organized in 45 high schools across 18 counties. The workshops, designed by researchers in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, teach students (1) how to identify the most common mental health problems and disorders, (2) self-help strategies and emotion management, (3) methods and resources for seeking specialized help, and (4) how they can support those close to them. The content was presented in student-accessible language and with interactive elements such as pair discussions and exercises, to facilitate a deeper understanding of complex topics. Through these workshops, our main goal was to normalize discussions related to mental health, combat the stigma associated with these problems and seeking help, as well as offer strategies for early identification of potential problems and for accessing necessary support. Student feedback was positive, with 97% of participants saying the workshop was useful for better understanding mental health.
So far, the workshops have been delivered exclusively by the association’s volunteers, but the ultimate goal would be to integrate them into the educational curriculum by involving school counsellors. Thus, it is necessary to understand the needs of school counsellors and identify ways in which the association’s resources can best support their work. Below we present the results of a focus group study in which we directly investigated the needs of school counsellors.
Data collection process
To facilitate the study and obtain relevant responses, the research team distributed a registration form to CJRAE institutions nationwide. Based on this form, registered school counsellors were contacted and invited to participate in online discussions, organized as focus groups. Participants were informed in advance about confidentiality aspects and gave consent for the discussions to be recorded. The two focus groups brought together 7 and 5 school counsellors, respectively, from various regions of the country (including Teleorman, Brașov, Galați, Dâmbovița, Tulcea, Neamț, and Arad).
Data analysis method
Data were analysed using thematic analysis. This method of analysis involves the identification, organization and interpretation of significant patterns (themes) in the data collected. The process involves a systematic approach, which includes reading the data carefully, coding the data, grouping the codes into relevant themes and interpreting them in the context of the research questions.
Results
From the data analysis, six main themes were identified, each reflecting key aspects of school counselors’ work. These themes are detailed below.
1. Excessive bureaucracy
A significant issue noted by school counsellors is the heavy administrative workload, which reduces the time allocated to direct counselling activities. The counsellors have to fill in redundant documentation and prepare files for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), and the preparation of materials for the differentiated curriculum is a time-consuming task. These administrative activities affect the efficiency of their work and limit the time they can devote to individual and group counselling. A participant emphasises:
“Bureaucracy is a challenge for us too. It doesn’t help us at all that instead of just planning counselling activities, we have to record them in an online register and then report back. It’s extra work that prevents us from focusing on the direct work with students.”
This time-consuming administrative work is also found in other responses, such as that of another participant:
“A lot of time is spent on paperwork. As well as paperwork and forms, we also have to do a lot of administrative work and counsellors are often involved in various committees.”
Another participant mentioned a similar aspect:
“And I would also add that very many papers that are given to us are the same paper, so the same statement, both from CJRAE and from the inspectorate. That is, they ask us for all kinds of situations, exactly as the colleague said, the table, the number of children with SEN, which the CJRAE ask us for, and the same thing the inspectorate asks us for. I mean, we make a paper and we give it to three directions.”
These responses suggest that the large amount of paperwork reduces the time available for counselling students, and that reducing this type of administrative work would allow counsellors to focus more on direct work with students.
2. Lack of human and material resources
School counsellors highlighted significant difficulties in terms of insufficient staff and materials to adequately meet the needs of students. In many cases, counsellors are responsible for far more students than they should be, which makes case management much more difficult.
One of the participants mentioned that the number of pupils is higher than required by law:
“The law says we should have 500 students, but in practice I have 800.”
Another participant emphasises the overburden on counsellors:
“We are often counselling over 1,000 students. We’re very, very, very, very overstretched in that respect.”
In addition to this problem, counsellors are also faced with the lack of appropriate tools for effective interventions, in particular for self-discovery, vocational guidance and managing emotions. This lack of resources significantly limits the effectiveness of interventions. One participant mentions:
“The tests and programs require licenses that are not accessible to all and should be provided through schools,” pointing out that access to essential educational resources for counseling and personalised interventions is limited.
Insufficient resources for group counselling and psychoeducation put additional pressure on counsellors.
3. Confusion about the role of the school counsellor
Confusion about the school counsellor’s duties is a major factor negatively influencing their collaboration with parents and teachers. Many parents confuse the role of the counselor with that of the psychologist and have unrealistic expectations such as psychological assessment or psychotherapy. This confusion leads to misunderstanding and can significantly affect the effectiveness of counselling activities. Two participants emphasise:
“Even if we are psychologists or clinical psychologists outside of school, in school we are considered teachers, school counsellors and then… for example considering learning problems…. as school counselors… we can identify them but we’re not allowed to evaluate them.”
“Although in our private offices or outside, we are psychologists or clinical psychologists…. but at the school level, we’re not allowed to address this issue very much.”
These quotes highlight the significant difference between the counsellor’s role at work and the work they do outside of school. For example, even if a counsellor is a clinical psychologist and therefore can administer psychological tests, they are not permitted to do so within the school setting.
4. Parental reluctance and stigmatisation of mental health
Parental reluctance and the stigma associated with mental health are significant barriers to counselling. Many parents refuse individual counseling or additional interventions recommended for their child, making comprehensive case management difficult. This is particularly the case in rural areas where the term ‘mental health’ is often perceived negatively. One participant remarks:
“Many parents send children to counselling without accepting psychotherapeutic interventions, underestimating the seriousness of some psychological problems.”
Another participant mentions the difficulties students have in communicating with parents:
“Students are often reluctant to discuss counselling visits with parents because parents believe that only ‘problem kids’ need counselling.”
This behavior reflects the stigma associated with mental health and contributes to the isolation of students who need help.
In less developed settings, parents’ fear and distrust of counselling reaches a very high level, even to the point of suspicion of counsellors’ intentions. One participant states:
“The further we get from the county [seat], the more reluctance we see from parents to let children participate in individual counselling sessions… there are also situations when parents say they won’t sign anything because, and I quote, their child will be stolen.”
In addition, counsellors need to be extremely careful about the language used in discussions with parents or students, so as not to reinforce stigmatisation. One participant remarks: “We need to be very careful when the parent comes to talk about the child or when the child comes. We must be careful to use very, very simple terms, not to use specialised terms from psychology, from psychiatry… because they retreat into a shell.”
5. Common difficulties for teenagers
Adolescents face a range of emotional and behavioral difficulties that require specialized interventions tailored to each individual’s needs. Frequent problems include addictive behaviors (alcohol consumption, smoking, and excessive use of electronic devices), stress, depression, bullying, absenteeism, interpersonal conflicts, and lack of school motivation. These difficulties have a significant impact on adolescent development and require preventive interventions and personalized support. One participant observes:
“Problems such as substance misuse, bullying and violence are increasingly common and can be particularly challenging and time-consuming to address.”
Many challenges also arise from difficult family situations. For example, many children end up growing up without parents, as one participant points out:
“Many children are left at home alone because their parents work abroad. This contributes to problems with self-esteem, emotional management and self-awareness.”
Another participant adds:
“Stress, depression and bullying, internet addiction is a problem again… problematic or risky behaviours… some of them come from disorganised, single-parent, or estranged families left abroad.”
6. The need for in-service training and support for teachers
School counsellors emphasized the importance of continuous training for teaching staff (both counsellors and other teachers) in identifying and managing students’ mental health problems. This need for continuous training is essential for the entire educational system to adequately respond to students’ emotional and behavioral needs. One participant highlights:
“It would also be helpful to train teachers to be able to identify anxiety or depression in children. At my school this year I sent five students to a psychiatrist because they were at risk of suicide and the form teachers were not trained to recognise these warning signs. “
This quote highlights a critical gap in the educational system: the lack of training for teaching staff in recognizing warning signs regarding students’ mental health. Serious cases, such as suicidal risk, often reach counsellors without teachers having observed previous signs, precisely due to the lack of specific training in this area.
The implementation of training programmes for all teaching staff, including the recognition of signs of stress, depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders, as well as strategies for communicating with parents and referral to specialists, would significantly contribute to early identification of problems and improve the response to students’ emotional needs.
Conclusions
The data analysis highlighted some significant challenges that school counsellors face in their daily work. The main themes identified are excessive bureaucracy, lack of human and material resources, confusion about the role of the school counsellor, parental reluctance and stigmatisation of mental health, frequent problems of adolescents and the need for in-service training for teachers. Each of these issues negatively affects the effectiveness of interventions and support for students, and developing solutions is an essential step in improving the work of school counsellors and the educational environment.
Recommendations
1. Reducing bureaucracy
It is essential to streamline administrative processes to free counsellors from redundant administrative tasks and allow them to focus their efforts on counselling students directly. Implementing integrated electronic platforms to centralise information and reduce duplication of documents could be an effective solution.
2. Increasing the number of counselors and material resources
There is an urgent need to employ more counsellors in schools with large numbers of students and to allocate adequate resources for the purchase of psychological tools and tests. These resources will support counselors in more effective case management and personalised interventions.
3. Information and training campaigns to clarify the differences between the role of the school counsellor and that of the psychologist
These measures would help avoid confusion and improve collaboration between them. Clear communication of responsibilities by school management would help avoid unrealistic expectations and support better cooperation.
4. Developing educational programmes to combat mental health stigmatization by parents
The implementation of educational programmes that raise parents’ awareness of the importance of mental health and of counselling services could help to remove stigma. Programmes could also provide parents with strategies for active involvement and support in the counselling process.
5. Psychoeducation programmes for students
It is necessary to implement prevention programmes that address the problems faced by students, ensuring access to information at a critical period in their development. These could consist of psychoeducation workshops supported by school counsellors, through which students could develop practical skills in understanding and managing their own mental health.
6. In-service training for teachers
Implement ongoing training programmes for counselolrs and teachers, focused on recognising the signs of mental health disorders and encouraging help-seeking among students.
In this context, the efforts of the Mental Health for Romania (MHR) team are essential to address the urgent needs of school counsellors. MHR can contribute by developing specific educational materials, such as guides, worksheets and psycho-educational resources to help counselors in their daily work, facilitating early identification of mental disorders and the application of stress and anxiety management techniques. Interactive workshops and in-service training sessions for counsellors would also help to improve their ability to manage complex cases and respond more effectively to students’ needs. These initiatives will strengthen the capacity of counsellors to provide appropriate support and create a school environment that is more prepared for adolescents’ mental health challenges.
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