Page 55 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 7 | October - November 2024

ROSHNI SACHDEV CURTAIN
Middle School Counsellor,
NIST International School

From a young age, Roshni was determined
to work with children and adolescents,
motivated by her own complex journey
through school, and a desire to increase
support accessibility for future generations.
After earning her psychology degree from
the University of British Columbia (UBC),
Roshni explored special education, which
revealed her strong desire to connect with
people on a deeper level. This led her to
pursue a Master of Counselling in Australia,
where she worked for Canteen, a non-profit

organisation supporting young people affected
by cancer. Following several years in Australia,
Roshni and her husband David chose to
pursue international teaching opportunities.
They moved to Singapore, where she served
as a Middle School Behaviour Intervention
Specialist, further developing her counselling
skills. This journey eventually brought her
back to her alma mater, NIST International
School (NIST).
How do you build trust and rapport with
your students? Visibility and accessibility
I truly believe that the foundation of are key to building strong,
effective counselling lies in establishing a
sense of psychological safety with clients. trusting relationships with
As a Middle School Counsellor, I am my students.
committed to creating a non-judgmental
environment where students feel supported,
through fostering a warm atmosphere What does a ‘typical’ day for a school Why is socioemotional well-being so
and treating everyone with kindness and counsellor look like? important for our young people? How do
respect. In small group and individual One of the most exhilarating experiences of you provide this support to your students?
counselling sessions, I take the time to being a Middle School Counsellor is that no Socioemotional well-being is the
learn about students’ interests, strengths two days are ever the same. A ‘typical’ day cornerstone to both academic and personal
and backgrounds and consistently strive to might involve a variety of tasks, including success. Research shows that students with
demonstrate empathy by validating their individual or group meetings with students, strong socioemotional functioning are
feelings and experiences. The expectations teaching Advisory+ lessons, parent meetings, more likely to achieve higher grades, form
around confidentiality are also very clear as well as collaborating with stakeholders healthier friendships, and manage their

within my counselling context, and students within the school. At the centre of everything emotions more effectively. At NIST, we
have a strong understanding that their I do is the well-being of students. cultivate socioemotional growth through

conversations are confidential within the our well-being curriculum and therapeutic
limits of safety. The availability of support and the ability support. Our middle school and Advisory+
to differentiate for student needs has
One of the other critical ways in which I transformed significantly over the last classes cover a wide range of topics,
build trust and rapport with my students decade. We are very fortunate at NIST to including friendships, stress management,
is through visibility and accessibility. At have learning support specialists, gifted and peer pressure, body image, self-awareness,
NIST, my role allows me to deliver a talented teachers and allied health providers boundaries, alcohol, smoking/vaping, and
socioemotional curriculum through a class such as Speech Language Therapists and sexuality education. Given the complexity
called Advisory+. These lessons enable me Occupational Therapists. As a counsellor and vulnerability of this developmental
to provide age-appropriate education, check who advocates for the needs of students, stage, it is crucial to provide support and
in with students, and gauge their well-being. I can liaise with the invaluable resources kindness to both young people and their
Beyond counselling, I mentor student within our school as well as outside resources parents. I offer socioemotional support to
service groups, have coached football, and that enhance student learning and well- students in both small groups and individual
remain accessible during breaks and lunch being. Throughout the school year, I also sessions, addressing concerns such as
periods. These varied interactions and roles deliver parent presentations on various topics transitions, anxiety, stress, anger, friendship
help me build strong, trusting therapeutic such as transitions, and helping parents set issues, and family dynamics.
relationships with students. boundaries around screen time.

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