On the 11th January 2021, Lisa Smith joined the Risedale Family as the new full-time School Counsellor. Lisa has worked as a counsellor for the past 6 years and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the school’s pastoral team.

Lisa will mainly be working with pupils in a school offering 1:1 counselling sessions, providing early help for any mental health issues. She will also be providing remote sessions for those pupils currently not in school due to COVID-19 and group support as things eventually return to normal.

Alongside Lisa’s work with pupils, she will also be supporting staff, including a monthly wellbeing forum. As a school, Risedale is passionate about everyone’s wellbeing and this commitment heralds further progress in this area. A happy school is a successful school.

Lisa said: “In the past, I’ve always worked across a number of schools so what I’m really looking forward to being a real part of one school community - Risedale. It is so rewarding when you see the progress of a young person through the counselling process.

It is strange starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic but I’m just really excited to get going. I think what we’ve all learned in the past 10 months is that you need to be flexible, adaptable and above all listen and respond with kindness. I am particularly excited about working with the young people so it is a service that they can help develop.”

Headteacher Colin Scott said: “There’s never been a more important time to support the Risedale Family and let them know that we are here for them. The health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff is our absolute priority during this difficult time of lockdown and we know that Lisa will be an integral part of our already outstanding pastoral team that do so much important work here at Risedale.”