COUNSELLING & PERSONAL ASSISTANCE
Br Roger Vallance fms & Mrs Marijke Keller
Welcome to all our new and returning Saints families!
An introduction to the Health and Wellbeing Team
The College Health and Wellbeing Centre (HWBC) comprises our nurse and counsellors.
Sr Suzana Borlovan is the College's registered nurse, Monday to Thursday. Her skills have been honed in hospitals, in remote communities and by teaching in TAFE and university nurse education. Sr Suzana has the depth of skill and knowledge, coupled with a profound understanding and affection for young people to provide wonderful care for our students' physical needs.
On Fridays, Mr Blake Patch is the nurse on duty. Blake has 27 years' clinical nursing experience in major hospitals including Royal North Shore and Cairns Base Hospital. His recent role as a school nurse coupled with his approachable disposition makes him a valuable addition to the Health and Wellbeing Centre.
Mrs Marijke (mar-ay-ka) Keller is our part-time counsellor at Saints. She is a registered psychologist and has been working in primary and high schools for the past 18 years. Mrs Keller works on Mondays, Thursday and Fridays.
She is highly skilled in small group work, in helping young people understand how the brain functions and supporting those who are experiencing emotional ups and downs.
Br Roger is a qualified counsellor with advanced training in adolescent trauma, adolescent CBT, solution-focused therapy, adolescent grief and loss, and eating disorders. He has a special interest in supporting our boarding students, including support during those initial weeks of homesickness and separation from families. Br Roger works as part of the HWBC team, Monday to Friday.
Q & A about the HWBC and what we do
What does a counsellor in a secondary school do?
- A school counsellor is a special part of the pastoral care team
- The counsellor plays an integral role in young people’s lives as they can speak confidentially to a counsellor and so unburden themselves or share experiences that might be difficult to talk about to other adults
- A counsellor is not part of the disciplinary side of the College
- Valuable information is available in Saints News
What are common issues that school counsellors frequently address?
They frequently deal with the full range of ups and downs of adolescent growth and experiences, which include:
- friendship and peer troubles
- homework worries
- anxieties large and small
- sadness and separation issues
- homesickness, especially for boarders
- adjustment issues in moving to a larger school and possibly loss of some friendships, grieving and loss in family separations
- deaths or separations in one’s community
- self-worth issues
- confidence
- decision-making
- identity
- concerns about health and physical wellbeing
How do I arrange for my son to meet a counsellor?
- Call 07 4052 9135 or 07 4052 9136or email the counsellors sac.counsellor@cns.catholic.edu.au and start a conversation to help the counsellor determine the best way to meet your son
- A face-to-face meeting is ideal if this can be managed
- Alternatively, a message to your son’s head of year or head of residence (for boarders) will also initiate a counselling meeting for him
- Counselling conversations remain confidential between the young person and the counsellor with respect to the Privacy and Consent Form that each counselling client signs
Health and Wellbeing Contact details:
Sr Suzana Borlovan sborlovan@cns.catholic.ediu.au 07 4052 9112
Mrs Marijke Keller mkeller@cns.catholic.edu.au 07 4052 9136
Br Roger Vallance fms: brroger@cns.catholic.edu.au 07 4052 9135
General email: sac.counsellor@cns.catholic.edu.au (a copy is sent to each counsellor)
Our students are on the road to growing into mature Men of Saints, and the counselling team welcomes contact with parents and carers. We look forward to working with our students and their families in 2023.