Desmond Channer
Student and Staff Counsellor
On work-life:
“NewVIc is such a wonderful place to work because of its diversity and inclusivity. The students here are lively, talented and come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. There is a real sense of community here amongst both staff and students. Working as a student counsellor at NewVIc has been one of the most challenging roles I have held but it is also one of the most rewarding. The students here are from the same East London streets as me and I hold them in high esteem as I know they have so much to contend with these days. Although much of my work is with students that are experiencing difficulty in their lives, they being so young have a mature commitment to themselves and a willingness to learn.”
“The students here are lively, talented and come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.”
On most inspiring person you have met:
“I have been lucky enough to work with and school with many inspirational figures both past and present but the most inspirational person I have met is my aunt, Dr Doris Channer-Watson. She was the first prominent black female gynaecologist in the USA in the 1970s. Much of her work was conducted under difficult circumstance but she never complained, only seeing the possibility in others. From humble beginnings she went on to formulate a number of ground-breaking procedures in her field before returning to Jamaica to care for the poor, the old and the sick in her neighbourhood and on her Island. She always led by example and was guided by her Christian faith. Her love of humanity has been a central part of my desire to work in the service of those in need.”
On your counselling career:
“Prior to entering the counselling profession, I obtained a B.Sc. (Honours) Degree in Psychology at Brunel University in 1998 and spent 15 years working in the corporate sector as an IT Network Manager as well as a Programme and Project Manager within the IT profession. During my time training to be a counsellor, I also worked at a variety of secondary schools with students with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities as a specialist pastoral care professional and Supply Teacher. Over the last 4 years, I have worked as a specialist bereavement counsellor at Bart’s NHS Trust (Whipps Cross Hospital) where I still provide counselling to adolescents (13-24) within the Young Persons Service as well as counselling in the adult service to clients over 25. Last year, I worked at a High School in Essex as a school counsellor for the 11-19 students there. Currently, I also run my own counselling private practice (Choose Counselling) out of offices in North East London and Central London and write a monthly editorial for the weekendpages.com.”
On student progression from his services:
“A recent study[1] into to the effects of counselling on the academic performance of college students discovered that 93% of the students found counselling useful, with 95% saying that they showed improvement after counselling. According to the study, there was an increase in the average marks by about 15%-25% among 43% of the students and by about 10%-15% of marks among 13% of the students.
On college attendance, another study[2] found that students with an attendance of less than 50% in their first term before receiving counselling improved their attendance to 70-75% in second term after counselling. Further, students with an academic performance of less than 35% in first term before counselling improved their performance to 50-60% in the second term after counselling. In this study, it was also demonstrated that counselling provided a positive and significant impact on attendance and academic performance of the students. This study also revealed a positive correlation between attendance and academic performance.
It is my aspiration and that of the NewVIc Counselling Service to assist students with their attendance, attainment, academic performance and achievement by supporting them and the diverse range of issues they being to the service. I hope that the collaborative work we do will assist them in discovering their true potential in their live journeys.”
[1] M. Renuka-Devi, P. Devaki, M. Madhavan, & P. Saikumar (2013). The Effect of Counselling on the Academic Performance of College Students. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. ISSN-0973-709X
[2] Nitin D. Pise, Swapnil B. Kaikade (2019). Impact of counselling on the attendance and academic performance of second year medical students in the subject Pharmacology. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, Vol8, No4. ISSN: 2279-0780