Emotional Health and Wellness at HIES
At HIES, the mental and emotional well-being of our community is nurtured and supported. We have a counselor for each division at HIES who aims to create a supportive environment where our students will flourish and our faculty and staff can be their best selves. We educate our community about mental health, normalize challenges, decrease stigma and we practice ways to manage and thrive!
Our Primary School counselor strives to build a strong foundation of social and emotional skills that will encourage the youngest members of our school to be successful students, friends and community members. Our program incorporates games, art, role play and creative activities as vehicles for memorable lessons. The focus is on the unique strengths and qualities each student brings to Holy Innocents' in order to help each child utilize their gifts in ways that promote social and emotional growth and well-being.
In the Lower School, our school counselor supports students as they develop the social and emotional tools necessary to grow their emotional intelligence, to form and maintain healthy relationships, and to navigate their expanding world. The counselor works directly with students through classroom lessons, small groups, and individual support, and consults with families, teachers and administrators to address the developmental needs of our young learners.
In the Middle School we focus on connecting with students and building relationships. We utilize individual and small group meetings as well as classroom instruction to help middle schoolers identify strengths, develop empathy, navigate friendships, master coping strategies, and learn to self-advocate.
In the Upper School, students are supported as they explore new interests, increase independence and responsibility and discover the next steps of their educational journey. The counseling office offers individual support to students and consults regularly with classroom teachers, parents, deans and administration. Through individual counseling, monthly advisory meetings focused on wellness and school wide events, students are taught to advocate for themselves and their mental health, utilize effective coping skills and to support one another as they navigate their Upper School experience.
