Bridging the Gap: A Guidance Counsellor’s Role in Supporting Student Wellbeing During the Transition to Secondary School

Guidance counsellors (GCs) play a critical role in promoting school-based social and emotional wellbeing (SEW), yet their contribution to students’ primary to secondary school transition remains under-researched. This qualitative case study explores how one GC supported SEW during this transition at a rural Catholic Prep–Year 12 school in Queensland, Australia. Thematic and descriptive analyses revealed two overarching themes: (1) the school’s multi-tiered systems of support transition support practices, and (2) the importance of whole-school collaboration. Findings indicate that GC expertise is particularly valuable when embedded in a proactive, whole-school framework and when transition processes span a full academic year. This study addresses a limited evidence base with a recommendation for broader studies across diverse school contexts.