Minors-Rouse wants more counsellors in the schools

A secondary school principal wants more counsellors in the schools.

Principal of the Bishop’s College in Kingstown, Samantha Minors-Rouse, is stunned at the death of one of her students, Ravi Elvis Abbey who took his own life last week. None of his teachers saw it coming. There were no telltale signs and this has led her to call for more counsellors – perhaps even full time counsellors who could be there for students under stress.{{more}}

Minors-Rouse said that within St Vincent and the Caribbean there are misconceptions that once someone goes to a counselor that the person is “abnormal” however young people are under stress and need help.

“They are at a difficult age, they are not yet adults but are not children anymore,” she told the Searchlight.

Counselor and Psycho-therapist with the Kingstown Medical College, Denise Lewis agreed that there needed to be trained counselors in the schools.

“Mental health and well being is also part of life,” she said, stressing the importance of making mental health a priority in the advancing of our educational policies: “There must be a balance”.

She also urged parents to be vigilant so they may spot changes in their children’s behaviour and if they do, send the child to a counselor.

Lewis said that because men were more drastic in their thinking, they were likely to take their own lives while the woman’s nature of seeking to lend an ear were not as keen to commit suicide.

Whatever the solution, the staff and students at Bishop’s College mourn Ravi’s passing. They remember him as a jovial, fun loving spark that could bring laughter to the dullest of faces.

“He loved life” Minors-Rouse said with a tone of confusion, as his action contradicted his personality.

Ravi, son of former calypso monarch Elvis “Abijah” Abbey of Upper New Montrose, shot himself in his head with his father’s licensed .38 revolver at around 8 pm on Wednesday, August 30. He had just been asked by his father to do some household chores but instead left his family dumbfounded when he removed the gun from a shelf, entered and locked his room and fired. The door had to be kicked in to recover his body.

Searchlight has been reliably informed that there there is no plan to bring any charge of negligence against “Abijah” Abbey.