Sir, – I put pen to paper today feeling deeply despondent and disillusioned by the Government’s decision to shelve the counselling in primary schools pilot scheme (2023–2026), despite what have been described as overwhelmingly positive outcomes for children who participated in one-to-one counselling.The Irish Times article (“Counselling plan for schoolchildren shelved over shortage of mental health professionals,” August 12th) stated that the scheme is being discontinued in favour of “wellbeing practitioners”, with the Department of Education citing difficulties in recruiting qualified counsellors. As one of the counsellors who participated in the pilot for three years, and as someone with 20 years’ teaching experience, I find this explanation deeply frustrating.If the Government genuinely wants to attract and retain qualified counsellors, it must provide conditions that make these positions viable. Unfortunately, this was far from my experience during the pilot. Counsellors were offered little security of employment; payments were, on occasions, not made and were frequently delayed; and emails seeking information or clarification could go unanswered for weeks.Incredibly, despite working as a counsellor on the programme for three years, I learned that the scheme was being shelved through the article in The Irish Times. This is sadly reflective of the communication and support counsellors received throughout the pilot.I persevered, not because the working conditions were favourable, but because I firmly believe that every child should have access to appropriate counselling and that schools are ideally placed to provide this service. Having trained counsellors available within schools provides invaluable therapeutic support to children who might otherwise face years on waiting lists. For many families there are few affordable alternatives, while the practical difficulties of arranging appointments and travelling to sessions can make accessing support even more challenging. School-based counselling removes many of these barriers.The study found that wellbeing practitioners were more cost-effective. Of course, a service delivered by staff with different levels of professional training may cost less. But should cost be the primary measure when we are talking about children’s mental health?Young people in Ireland are presenting with increasingly complex mental health needs. A service that is cheaper is not necessarily a service that is adequate for those needs. Qualified counsellors bring specialist training and experience in therapeutic work with children and young people, including the ability to recognise when a child requires more intensive or specialised intervention.The Government has missed a real opportunity here. Had the Department of Education invested sufficiently in the pilot, listened meaningfully to the feedback from counsellors and schools, and provided appropriate employment conditions, the recruitment difficulties could have been addressed. There is a considerable difference between there being a shortage of counsellors willing to do this work and there being a shortage of counsellors willing to do it under the conditions offered.Ultimately, it is children and the already overstretched staff of our schools who risk suffering the consequences of prioritising budgetary considerations over the quality of mental health support available to our young people.Children’s mental health deserves investment, expertise and long-term commitment – not simply the cheapest available option. – Yours, etcMAIREAD BACON,Bishopsmeadows,Kilkenny.