Teen reveals how a school counsellor helped save his life
For a young man who owes his life to the school counsellor, Tom Moiso is shocked that many NSW kids don’t have that shoulder to lean on. SEE THE LIST: NSW schools with more than 1000 students but only one counsellor
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For a young man who owes his life to the school counsellor Tom Moiso is shocked that many kids don’t have that shoulder to lean on.
The 19-year-old twice attempted suicide and was self-harming while a student at a prestigious all-boys’ school on Sydney’s lower north shore.
Tom said he started suffering major depressive and anxiety disorders towards the end of Year 9.
Exam stress, relationship troubles and being one of the school’s few openly gay students made his time in the classroom incredibly difficult.
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“It was very hard and there were definitely times where I felt like I wouldn’t see the light of the next day,” the Drummoyne man said.
But there was solace.
“Throughout this time I was very well supported by my mum and the school counsellor, and I ended up seeing the counsellor almost every day,” he said.
Tom was forced to stay away from school for three months because his self-harming was having an impact on other kids.
When he did return his school counsellor set up a meeting between him, all his teachers and all the heads of department.
“That meeting was 100 per cent a good thing and helped me drastically,” he said.
“Whenever I wouldn’t do my work it would be easy for them to think that ‘he is just slacking off’.
“But it is so much more than that and now that they understood, it was a lot easier.”
The Sunday Telegraph is calling on the NSW Government to increase the number of counsellors in the state’s schools.
We are also asking for every teacher to have mental health first aid training so distressed kids can be safely guided into appropriate care.
Tom is now a speaker for youth mental health organisation batyr Australia, where he visits schools to tell his story.
He counts himself as one of the lucky ones.
“Some kids don’t even know the name of the school counsellor, don’t know where their office is or anything like that,” he said.
“And that is amazing to me. I was very fortunate to have that available to me.”
Opposition education spokeswoman Prue Car was one of 20 signatories to an open letter calling on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to increase the number of counsellors in NSW schools.
“Counsellors can be the lifeline that save our kids from ending up in the emergency department – how much more will it take for Gladys Berejiklian to do something?” Ms Car said.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said their election commitment will provide every public high school in NSW with one full-time counsellor and one full-time student support officer. “These two roles will complement the range of other student wellbeing and mental health programs schools deliver (and) this commitment remains on track,” she said.