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The Counseling Institute was founded over 40 years ago to enhance the work of independent schools, which have long been building conscious communities of adults and students. To this day the Institute provides teachers and schools insight, support, and guidance on how to best help students grow. Social, emotional, and intellectual growth occur through meaningful connection, and the Institute’s work is grounded in the purpose of fostering such connections between students and faculty. Those who attend our summer Institutes leave prepared to be better advisors, teachers, and mentors. They also come to know themselves and deepen their ability to connect with all who matter in their lives.
While our focus on deepening relationships has remained steady for 40-some years, the demands on the adults who work in schools have become more complex. You are working with students who represent an increasingly broad range of background, experience, and worldview. Life within and outside schools often moves at break-neck speed. When there is an imbalance between stress and inner resources our natural enthusiasm and resilience deflate. A sense of belonging is an important and lasting remedy; it creates zest and combats the isolating feelings of being overwhelmed and disconnected. How can we ensure that all our students have that sense of belonging?
In the spirit of sorting this out we are delighted to be presenting a workshop at this year’s NAIS Annual Conference (Thursday, February 28,12:30 – 1:30) called “Creating Inclusion: Addressing Student Need for Belonging with Empathic Advising.” I will be joined by co-presenters Jack Creeden, the Head of Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC (former Head of our host school at Fountain Valley in CO), and Kooheli Chatterjee, the Middle School Dean of Students at the Pingry School in NJ. Kooheli is an Institute alumna who has many insights into how deep listening can open important lines of communication with students. Jack has always articulated a vision of connection that teachers have found inspiring. We look forward to deep conversation about what can make advising empathic, why this matters, and how to do it. You can find the abstract of the workshop here.
We look forward to seeing Institute alumni before, during, or after our workshop at the conference, as we always enjoy reconnecting and finding out how you are.
We hope you are considering attending one of our summer workshops. You will find that your fellow educators speak most eloquently about the value of this work; their testimonials, found throughout the Institute brochure, are the best indicator of the experience. We are thrilled that so many new schools have been finding us (34 in the last few years) and that so many of our repeat senders are having new deans and advising teams come in groups. As schools build a core of trained teachers and educators who connect deeply with students you will find you do indeed have a community where everyone feels they belong.
Have a wonderful rest of the year. Hope to see you this summer!
All the best,
Ellen Porter Honnet