Counselling
Gifted children and adolescents may experience issues such as:
- social isolation
- asynchrony
- frustration
- anxiety
- sensitivity
- intensity
- identity formation
- depression
- underachievement
- perfectionism
- boredom
- multipotentiality
… that require specialised support from a counsellor with an understanding of the characteristics and needs of gifted youth.
Michele has qualifications in counselling and gifted education, having completed her undergraduate study at the University of Queensland and postgraduate study at the University of New South Wales and the University of Iowa to develop knowledge and skills in counselling and gifted education. She has considerable clinical experience, counselling gifted children and adolescents in schools and through Clearing Skies. Michele was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study the counselling and intervention strategies for gifted children and their parents in England and the U.S.
To arrange counselling appointments for children or adolescents, please contact us.
Counselling can be provided via phone and/or Skype for families unable to attend the centre due to distance, disability or family circumstances. To make alternative arrangements for counselling, please contact us.
Study Skills
Many gifted children breeze through the early part of their formal education with little need to study to achieve good results. As students progress through school, subject content becomes more complex and assessment schedules become more demanding. A range of academic, organisational and study skills must be developed in order for students to keep pace with increased assessment requirements and heightened academic expectations. Underachieving students can become confused and distressed about why they are not achieving results that reflect their abilities. Developing a range of academic and study skills is essential, even for highly gifted students, if students are to achieve academic results that truly reflect abilities and provide opportunities for the future.
Michele Juratowitch wrote Study: The Simple Facts to provide an introduction to study skills for students. She has developed study skills programs, including Base Camp, Advance! and Peak study skills programs, to address the specific needs of gifted students and provides study skills for individual students, small group seminars, students at schools and university. Click here to see an outline of the Advance! Study Skills Seminar for Secondary Students. Study Skills Seminars can be arranged for a group of students and held within the school. Please contact us to explore possibilities for individuals or groups of students.
See our Events page for upcoming Study Skills Seminars.
Groups
Clearing Skies conducts programs for small groups of students who can work together with others of like mind to develop skills in areas such as: social; assertiveness and study skills. Groups are often planned during school holidays to allow busy students to access the programs; however groups are sometimes conducted on weekends, after school or, at a school’s request, provided for a group of students, at the school and during the school day. These programs are conducted in response to need.
Please contact us to indicate interest and be notified about future groups.