Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA)

ELSAs are trained to plan and provide a series of 1:1 or group sessions to support students in developing new skills that help them to recognise and manage their social and emotional needs more effectively. Sessions take place in dedicated room which provides a calm, safe space for the child to feel supported and nurtured. 

Goal setting:  ELSAs will work with students to set goals then work together on them for six to twelve weeks.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

1) What's the difference between a counsellor and an ELSA?

ELSA:

• Advise and assist

• Referred by a teacher, tutor or a HOY

Counsellor:

• specialized  in counselling

• Do not give advice

• You choose counselling (self-refer, or staff member helps with referral)

2) Will I miss lessons to attend these sessions?
Yes, ELSA sessions take place during during lesson time or lunch time.  We will work with you to find the best times for you.

3) Will anyone know if I'm seeing an Emotional and Social Support EA? Your tutor and Head of Year will know you are seeing me, but the contents of the sessions won't be shared unless necessary. I may share information with others if needed but this will be discussed with you in advance. 

4) How does this work?

I am not there to fix your problems. I aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

Shared values:

• Respect

• Accountability

• Listen to your concerns

• Confidentiality

• Empathy

• It's about you!

• Qualified

• Offer choices

• Professional approach

• Being genuine and truthful

• Displaying a non-judgmental attitude

So what do the students think?

On completion of past programmes, we asked students to reflect on their experiences and to kindly leave us some feedback. Here are some of the lovely comments we receive:  

• "I like coming to ELSA , it makes me happy!"

• "This has helped me with confidence".

• "It has helped me a lot with my anger. I enjoyed it very much!".

• "This has helped me with bullying problems, making new friends and most of all to have fun!".

• "I've learned to be more sensible in class".

• "I learnt that there are some things you can't control and there is no point getting mad over it."

• "This has helped me learn how to be resilient"

• "I learnt about how we can identify our own and other people's emotions"

• "I learnt how to manage emotions"

• "I learnt about the different color zones and about big problems to little problems"

• "I learned how to be a good social thinker and become less introverted"

• "This has helped me to read people's emotions"