Oberon Public School

Inspire, Create, Achieve

Telephone02 6336 0093

Emailoberon-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

School counselling service

Debra Mainwaring is our School Psychologist, with over twenty years experience in psychology and thirty years in education. 

Specialising in trauma and attachment, anxiety and depression, learning difficulties and autism, Debra has a Bachelor of Psychology (University of Reading), Masters of Educational Psychology (University of Manchester), Post-graduate Teaching (University of Birmingham) and a Masters of Education (University of Singapore). She also served a lecturer in Psychology at the Australian Catholic University, Western Sydney University and Griffith University, and as Head of Special Education in Singapore.

Her services include:

  • Brief Solution Focused Therapy
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • mindful based stress reduction
  • expressive art, including symbol work and Theraplay®
  • grief and crisis counselling
  • motivational interviewing
  • providing emotional support to students who are worried about school work, friends, getting in trouble at school or feeling down
  • helping parents and carers make decisions about their child’s education.

With the help of the learning and support team (LST), Debra may development behavioural plans and identify and address disabilities that may affect learning. She also acts as a liaison with outside services, such as doctors and paediatricians, and may make referrals where needed.

A teacher may recommend the counselling service by referring a student to the LST, and as a parent or carer you may refer your child directly to counselling by contacting the school. Students may also self-refer.

School counselling is confidential.