Hagley’s new Head of Guidance, Mike Gilchrist, was always attracted to working in the guidance area because of his own people-based approach to education.

For Mike, schools have always been about working with people not about teaching content, an approach which has been at the forefront of his career. That approach can be seen in the way he sees the counselling team’s role at Hagley. “We’re about student support, not being advice givers,” Mike says. “Our job is to listen, accept people’s narratives and help people make good choices, not play God.” For Mike that means that, above all, he and his team are not there to judge students. “As soon as a student you’re working with in a guidance setting feels they are being judged, they switch off.”

Mike wants to get out into the school to raise the counselling team’s profile so that students know who they are and more about the services they offer. He’s keen that they get into classes and run workshops, if possible. A first area aimed at Year 12 which the team and Rowan Milburn would like to introduce is the ‘Loves Me Not’ programme aimed at preventing abusive behaviour in relationships. Mike rates ‘Loves Me Not’ because of its focus on helping students understand what healthy relationships look like and what should be normalised behaviour. The programme helps young people become aware of signs when a relationship is imbalanced, for example when a person might be being manipulated or accepting a partner’s poor behaviour as ‘normal.’

Mike started teaching at Aranui High School, moved to McKenzie College in Fairlie as Head of English, then to Mountainview in Timaru in the Head of English role. The counsellor at the time at Mountainview also taught an English class. Mike regarded her as a mentor and an influence on his own decision to move into guidance. He took up the opportunity to train as a guidance counsellor, studying at Massey University, then was later appointed as Mountainview’s counsellor

Mike and his wife, Jenny, have owned a house in Fairlie for 18 years. They enjoy being on ten acres and with no neighbours, although as Mike puts it, “It’s nine acres too many!”. They enjoy the South Canterbury lifestyle and scenery, with their house looking at Mount Dobson ski field, which is half an hour away. Mike says he will miss it, but they are ready to move on.

Mike loves being part of Hagley’s counselling team and is really enjoying working with wellbeing administrator Illa Russell, Leanne Buchan, the second full-time counsellor in the team, and Vicky Blake, who counsels part time. He's finding Hagley to be a great place to work: “I love the first names and the mufti - it shows a good level of respect. Hagley really is a school with a place for everyone.”

Leanne, Illa and Mike are based in Simpson House.