Exploring the inner workings of the Counseling and Guidance

James Zaidman Staff Writer

“My purpose is to give students a space at school where they can be honest with themselves and with a caring and compassionate adult about what’s going on with them,” psychologist Dr. Liz Westphal said. “Whether it’s something academic, something social, something at home, something with family, or anything that might be causing them distress and taking them away from their studies or making it hard for them to feel good coming to school or waking up every day.”

Staffed by three psychologists, the Counseling and Guidance Department offers mental health support to any student who walks into the office. According to a Record poll with 138 respondents, 44% have visited the office at least once. Approximately half of respondents also said they felt some stigma around visiting the office, in part due to the culture at the school and the nature of the office itself.

Upon entering the office, students can either schedule an appointment with one of the psychologists through Administrative Assistant Fabiana Cabral, or wait for a meeting on one of two armchairs, next to the coffee table with puzzles, a sand “zen garden,” fidget toys, and a jar of sweets.

The psychologists’ roles differ from that of a therapist or guidance counselor, psychologist Dr. Ian Pervil said. Counseling and Guidance does not act as a long-term solution, but rather a “safety net” for students at school. “If they need long-term, ongoing care, then they should be working with a therapist outside of school who can really provide that care, without the interference of being in a school setting.”

Among the 61 respondents who have visited the office, over a third have only been once; around one fifth visit a few times per year. For Bea Monti (9), who responded to a follow-up poll about the office, her visits have helped her combat test- taking anxiety. The psychologists taught her new tactics to cope with anxiety during her tests, she said. Hesitancy around visiting Counseling and Guidance may be fueled by high expectations of what a “model Horace Mann student” should be, Celia Stafford (11) said. There is a sense that Counseling and Guidance should only be used in extremely difficult situations, which simply is not true, she said. “You don’t have to be having a mental breakdown, you can just go there to talk. You can have help all the time.”

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the department is that they must legally call parents or teachers after having a conversation with a student, Pervil said. “The vast majority of the time that students come in, we talk about problems and we don’t tell anyone else what’s going on,” he said. “We generally only have to talk to parents when there are worries about harm to self or others.”

According to Westphal, the department has to call home if a student is contemplating or has engaged in self-harm, has an eating disorder, has a substance use disorder, is in an abusive relationship, or if any criminal behavior is occurring. “Those leaving it up to the student to go into the details, Pervil said. “We want you to have the more personal conversations with your parents to your own comfort level, rather than us speaking for you.”

Another misconception surrounding the office is that they will not care about what a student has to say, Amaris Christian (10) said. Although there may have been isolated cases in which information that students did not want to be shared was shared, she believes that the space generally fulfills its purpose. “Counseling and Guidance is a bit more inclusive and a bit more accessible than people think.” situation,’ and then I’ll give them a specific reason.”

When a student enters the office and a psychologist determines that they are not in an appropriate mental state to go to class, they follow a strict procedure to protect the student. First, they email Administrative Assistant Laura Cassino, who manages attendance records, that the student in question should be excused from class for that period. While the department copies the student’s grade dean on the email, there is no communication with the teacher directly unless the student chooses to inform them why they missed class, Westphal said.

Stafford, who has visited Counseling & Guidance for both minor and major issues, said that the office can often be a safe space to calm down in the heat of the moment and affirm her feelings.

Christian, who also visits Counseling & Guidance when she feels overwhelmed during the school day, thinks that the office is an incredible source of help during tough moments. The psychologists not only help students work through their emotions, but also provide an impartial perspective since they do not know what happens in your life outside of school, she said. “Even though they see you around school, they don’t really know your life and they’re not going to interfere with your personal schedule.” previous years.”

After the pandemic, more students have brought their friends into the office as well, Pervil said. According to the Record poll, 32% of the 61 students who have visited the office went on their own volition, while 40% were referred to the office by a teacher at the school, 13% were referred by a parent, and 10% were referred by a friend.

Pervil has also observed a higher proportion of underclassmen coming in to seek help, which is unlike previous trends he had observed. “When you’re in a new environment, you feel like you should be able to handle things in a certain way, so you are more reluctant to reach out for help,” he said. “In the years that I’ve been here, more people who are younger feel less afraid to come for help.” are all situations where we would insist on contacting a parent because we know that those are all situations that require intervention that is beyond the scope of the school,” she said. “Since the students here are largely under 18, the only way they can access that intervention is through their parents.”

When the Department is forced to call parents, they only relay the vital information such as what needs to be done instantly to solve the issue,

The deans respect the clinical opinion of the psychologist to excuse a student from class, and never pry into what the reason for the excusal was, Westphal said. Deans are vital to the success of the office since they can adjust a student’s schedule or communicate with teachers to give students space to deal with issues. “I will often ask a student, ‘what do you think about letting the dean know about this? I think the dean might be really helpful in this particular

Since he began working at the school six years ago, Pervil has noticed a significant reduction in stigma surrounding the Department of Counseling and Guidance. The pandemic shifted public mindsets around mental health, and online school helped parents understand the significance of mental health in their kids. “We heard a lot more worries coming directly from parents because they had more direct access to [students] than they had in

Westphal attributes the increase in underclassmen to a more open discussion on mental health at the school, aided by a member of the Department visiting each Horace Mann Orientation class at the start of their time in the Upper Division.