Learning Mentor
My name is Laura Dunk and I am the Learning Mentor & at Capel Manor.
My role is to support your children’s emotional wellbeing at school. I do that in a variety of ways: by being a listening ear when they have worries or difficulties, seeing them for regular support for a particular reason and helping them to find strategies to cope with the things in their lives that they are finding difficult.
Through 1:1 sessions or small group work, together we tackle issues such as:
- Low self-esteem or confidence
- Friendship difficulties
- Transition to a new class or moving on to secondary school
- Dealing with anger or anxiety
- Bereavement or other loss
- Parental separation
- Any emotional difficulty that is causing a barrier to learning
Sessions vary from a one-off check-in to see how your child is doing, to regular scheduled sessions over a half-term or longer. The sessions are tailored to your child’s needs and I use a solution focused approach in talking with your children. I often engage them in play or creative activities to create a relaxed environment that helps them to share how they are feeling with me.
Additionally, I am an advanced Drawing & Talking practitioner. Drawing & Talking is a 12-week therapeutic intervention that supports children & young people who:
- Have suffered any kind of trauma
- Are young carers
- Have been or are in the process of being adopted or fostered
- Suffer from anxiety, stress or phobias
- Have experienced parental separation, any kind of loss or bereavement
- Are withdrawn or continually unhappy
- Have difficulty in maintaining relationships within the family or with friends and peers
Children can self-refer to me, by using the Time To Talk boxes around school. Teachers will speak to the parent or carer if they identify a child needing emotional support and then will refer. Parents & carers are also encouraged to let me know if you feel that your child would benefit from some emotional support while in school or just need a listening ear.
Please use the parent’s referral form found here Parent LM/ELSA/Drawing & Talking Referral Form
More information about Drawing & Talking can be found here Drawing & Talking