A Surrey teenager took her own life in 2018 after viewing content about self-harm and suicide online. Frances-Rose Thomas, a student at a Surrey special educational needs school read the material on an iPad that belonged to the school. The device wasn’t protected by any filter or security system. It’s said that the 15-year-old was given “unfettered and unsupervised” internet access at Undershaw, which was then known as Stepping Stones School before she passed away in September 2018. 

“Destructive tendencies”

The girl had recently moved from another school, but struggled and missed several lessons. This meant she was left alone and unsupervised for lengthy periods of time. Surrey Coroner’s Court was told that the teenager had complex needs and suffered from low self-esteem and anxiety. She was also said to have "overwhelming, perhaps all-consuming, fear of failure", and "destructive tendencies". Although she was given extra educational support, she found it tough to engage. 

Frankie’s parents believed the internet access she was given would be “limited”, but this was not the case. It appears electronic software called Lightspeed wasn’t effective enough to protect Frankie from the content. A forensic analysis of the girl’s laptop found that she spent much of early 2018 accessing sites themed around self-harm and suicide. 

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Our counsellors in Guildford can work closely alongside you to help you gain a better, more positive outlook on life. They can help you overcome destructive thoughts and behaviours, and they can assist you if you’ve been affected by something happening in your life right now or something that occurred many years ago. Many people say their self-esteem has improved after they started using counselling services in Guildford, and that they’ve been able to source much more joy from their day-to-day lives. 

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One of the key benefits of using Click Counsellor is that there are no lengthy waiting lists to worry about. You can get the help that you need within days rather than months when you use our service. There’s a big chance you may need to wait much longer if you look for a therapist elsewhere, which can seem unhelpful when you feel you’re experiencing a crisis right now. Why not use our directory service to find a qualified, endorsed and accredited counsellorin Guildford today? 

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