Teachers’ College Warden Has Counselling Plans

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29383, 9 December 1960, Page 2

Teachers’ College Warden Has Counselling Plans

Counselling programmes at the Christchurch Teachers' College will be the interest of the new women’s warden, Miss Jean Herbison, when she takes over next year.

At present the college has a tutorial system. Each staff member is responsible for a group of students within the college. They meet once a week to discuss problems, and the tutors are also available for personal counselling. “I intend to build on the existing programme, and to try to integrate it with other aspects of the students’ studies,” said Miss Herbison in an interview last evening.

She first became aware of the importance of general educational and personal guidance when she was careers advisor at Avonside Girls’ High School. Relationships

“During interviews I realised that many girls had problems other than vocational. Sometimes it was a matter of choosing the right course for the right job, but more often it was a question of relationships both with home and with teachers. In work such as this, one wbrson cannot have

all the answers—it is. a matter of teamwork, and discussion with other teachers,” said Miss Herbison.

For the last year Miss Herbison has been doing similar work as a lecturer for Division U—university students on post-primary teachers' studentships. Next year, being responsible for the welfare of the women students at the Teachers’ College, she hopes to increase the personal interviews.

“Although counselling work is in its infancy, it is developing rapidly,” she said. Counselling was only a small part of guidance—this was the work of the whole college, through instruction. group discussions, and individual counselling. “Here we can help students to deal with their own problems, and make intelligent decisions for themselves,” she said.

Individual Help “Counselling is not only for people with problems, but to help everybody to build up on their strengths, and to work to their potential. Its first object is to assist the students themselves. In this way they will become happier and better teachers. They will see the value of incorporating guidance techniques in their own classrooms, thus helping their pupils. It is a sortof snowball, and Teachers' College is a great avenue for it,” said Miss Herbison.