Psychotherapy Guidelines

Written on 08/19/2025
Bellavista

These guidelines outline a structured approach to psychosocial support at the schools. It includes the step-by-step proveses for internal and external referral, the principles underlying this school-based service and the ethical parameters involved. Psychotherapists in schools must comply with HPCSA rules, Children’s Act, Schools Act, POPIA, and mandatory reporting obligations, while also aligning with school policies. Their role sits at the intersection of health and education, so clear agreements and ethical vigilance are crucial.

 

Note: Whilst occupational therapy, speech-language therapy and remedial therapy is on offer within the school enrolment, school based psychotherapy is expressly not a given in the course of placement at the school.


PRINCIPLES

Psychological services are offered to children enrolled at the school by qualified psychologists and social workers who are currently registered with the HPCSA.

 

Costs of short term therapy are borne by the school. After a reasonable period, if long-term therapy is indicated, the therapist will refer to external therapy.

 

Psychologists/ social workers employed are qualified to deal with a child under the age of 18 years old when the issues relate to the education and learning of that child.

 

All ethical practice boundaries and protocols put forward by the HPCSA are honoured.

 

REFERRAL TO EXTERNAL THERAPY

Children and parents will be referred to external therapy in the instances where:

  • Case management for a parenting plan is required

  • Sexual abuse

  • The matters pertain to custody 

  • Separation anxiety

  • Attachment disorder

  • Conduct disorder

  • Family therapy

  • Marriage counseling

  • Inappropriate Social Media behaviours

  • Any criminal act

  • Either the child or parent is already bseen by a therapist in the school (i.e. two therapists cannot attend to the same family under the auspices of the school)

  • A therapist feels s/he is not able to deal with the case at hand or if the nature of the case is not within scope of practice

  • The school based sessions are disruptive in the course of the child’s school day.


REFERRAL TO SCHOOL BASED THERAPY

 

Individual Psychotherapy

  • Trauma

  • Diagnosis

  • Grief

  • GAD

  • Medical recovery

  • Dreaded disease at home

PARENT Support Groups

  • ADHD

  • Anchor Mornings

  • New Parents on the Block (NPB)

  • ASD

  • Parent Bookclub

Social Skills and EAGALA (8 sessions)

 

  • Pragmatics

  • General Skills

  • Digital citizenship

  • Confidence

  • Leadership

  • Self esteem 

Theme Group FIE focussed

  • confidence

  • managing big feelings

  • friendship

  • New Kids of the Block (NKB)

  • SHIFT

  • New Parents on the Block (NPB)

  • Career counseling

SNOEZELEN

  • Confidence

  • Trauma

  • Meltdown ASD

  • Anxiety

  • Performace anxiety

 


PROCESS OF REFERRAL

The school makes the referral (not the parent).

 

An intake assessment to determine whether the client will be accepted into school based therapy/ referred externally involves:

A signed consent for the involvement of a psychologist from both parents and/or a legal guardian that will serve as written consent for ongoing therapy is required from both parents/ a legal guardian.

A full history will be taken in an initial interview and in consultation with the school records.

 

A four-session assessment will be conducted and the parent/s consulted in a further discussion.

 

Therapy will only be convened if the above process indicates its validity/ suitability for school-based intervention.

 

This is at the discretion of the psychosocial support team.

 


DURATION OF THERAPY

Therapy will be evaluated for continuation on a term-by-term basis and/or variance in approach. 

Duration of therapy will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

This is at the discretion of the therapist.

 


PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND FEEDBACK

  1. Theapy cannot proceed in the absence of parent involvement unless the chlldis over 12y and/ or teh situation involves home based abuse.

  2. A minimal involvement by parents includes the initial interview, four-week feedback and termly feedback points. 

  3. Parents should be available per telephone at any point in the process. 

  4. The psychologist will only join the team feedback meetings at parent feedback if the child is in a social skills group when so doing is mutually agreed upon with parents. 

  5. Alternatively, individual feedback between therapist and parents will be held. 

  6. Feedback for children in individual therapy could be offered in therapist-parent direct feedback, outside the team or together with the team when mutually agreed upon with the parents.

 



RECOMMENDATION TO FAMILY THERAPY

Bellavista School does not offer family therapy but will refer when indicated.

 


FEEDBACK TO THE SCHOOL

  1. Confidentiality must be maintained, except where disclosure is required by law (e.g., risk of harm, abuse, criminal acts).

  2. Feedback to the school by an attending psychologist will always be guided by ‘best interest of the child’. 

  3. This determination is at the discretion of the therapist and should not be probed unnecessarily.

  4. The Executive Principal is available for regular feedback on the children in therapy where relevant. That meeting will determine the extent to which the broader staff might receive relevant feedback.

  5. Feedback may be shared with relevant professionals. 

  6. Feedback relating to parent information will be handled with discretion.

  7. A psychologist’s sessional records are kept by the individual health professionals.

  8. Should it be in the best interest of the child; for example, abuse/ safeguarding, substance, self harm, a brief note is made in learning support - security level 4 

  9. Their input to shared meetings is not for the minutes. 

  10. Each therapist will keep up to date session notes.

 


APPLICABLE LAWS/ REGULATIONS

 

Health Professions Act (Act 56 of 1974)

  1. Psychotherapists fall under the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) if they are psychologists, registered counsellors, or psychometrists.

  2. Practitioners must be registered in the correct professional category (e.g., clinical, counselling, educational psychologist).

  3. They must adhere to the HPCSA Ethical Rules of Conduct: informed consent, confidentiality, record-keeping, scope of practice, and professional boundaries.

Scope of Practice (HPCSA Board for Psychology, 2019 revision)

  1. Defines what each category of registered professional may or may not do (e.g., an educational psychologist may focus on learning, behaviour, and development in children).

South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996)

  1. Governs the rights of learners and duties of schools.

  2. Protects learners’ right to access education without unfair discrimination.

  3. School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and principals carry responsibility for managing external service providers, including therapists.

Children’s Act (Act 38 of 2005, as amended)

  1. Central to working with children in schools.

  2. Mandatory reporting: any suspicion of abuse, neglect, or exploitation must be reported to a designated child protection organisation or SAPS.

  3. Emphasises the best interests of the child as paramount.

  4. Children under 12 generally require parental/guardian consent for therapy. However, the Children’s Act allows children over 12 (with sufficient maturity) to consent to certain health services, including mental health treatment.

Child Justice Act (Act 75 of 2008)

  1. Relevant if working with learners in conflict with the law.

The Cybercrimes Act, officially known as Act 19 of 2020

  1. Criminalises various cyber offenses including sextortion, etc. over social media.

Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA, Act 2 of 2000)

Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA, Act 4 of 2013):

  1. POPIA is crucial in schools – personal and health information of learners must be stored, shared, and processed securely.