Are all school counsellors captured?

[ellieboo9]

Not sure if this is the right section for this, but my 10 yr old DD has been experiencing some unkindness at school (other kids calling her weird) and is very down, saying she hates herself etc. She has suggested going to see the counsellor at school (a few of her classmates have been and always seem to come back with sweets and glitter in their hair which I think has piqued her interest). However, I'm wary of the whole idea as the website says the counsellor keeps everything confidential and won't tell parents what has been discussed. My biggest worry is that I have no idea what side of the fence the counsellor sits on and I fear she might suggest that DD's self-esteem issues stem from being trans. I'm also just generally uneasy about the idea of any adult being alone with my child and effectively having 'confidences' with her that I'm not party to. Am I overthinking this? How does counselling for kids usually work?

Who is the counsellor? I've recently learned many are externally trained and brought in via external orgs who can be riddled with issues.

This is probably just my personal experience speaking, but the entire point of counselling is being able to speak freely to a stranger. I’m making no assumptions about your parenting OP but children can sometimes desperately need a listening ear from an adult. If your parents are involved it is pretty pointless.

Speaking as a 31-year-old who was very frank about abuse in my household and that was related to my parents in three separate schools and whose mother insists on going to her psychiatry appointments to this day.

Any disclosures re: abuse should be taken straight to social services, not kept secret by school counsellors!

Sorry - I don't know how to bookmark, so I'm responding to find this to read later. Sorry everyone.

Whaaat? Tell her to fuck off. Or can you tell your psychiatrist that you don't give permission for her to be there?