HNA School Counselors: Jennifer Hawes and Emily McKenzie
HNA has two Licensed Mental Health School Counselors (LMHC’s) who are affiliated with the American Counseling Association and the Crisis Response Team for Independent and Catholic Schools.
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Our School Counselors use a culturally responsive trauma informed care lens to support the mental health needs of our students, faculty, staff and administration.
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HNA Counselors understand that racism is a public health crisis and stay current on the mental health needs of the community they are serving, while also addressing mental health/trauma by centering those most impacted by racism and its intersections (age, disabilities/neurodivergence, poverty, gender, gender expansive)
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Our School Counselors are updating the Crisis Plan for Holy Names as our world continues to change. This plan is being updated to include gun violence, social and political traumas like domestic terrorism, systemic racism and the most up to date mental health crisis affecting youth.
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HNA School Counselors design and author responses for the school and larger community when traumatic and/or racialized events happen at the local, state, national and global levels to help faculty, administration, staff and families support our youth.
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Our School Counselors are connected to other local mental health practitioners and recommend and attend critical professional development, keeping them up to date on culturally responsive healing techniques/knowledge.
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HNA School Counselors train staff, faculty and administration by leading DEIJB and mental health-focused workshops, facilitating the SEED program and providing speakers to keep our staff updated on the latest healing and trauma informed care.
HNA College Counselors: Megan Diefenbach and Anjelica Johnson
HNA's college counselors have intentionally designed a program that is multicultural and addresses barriers that oppressed communities often face in the college application experience:
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Speakers that attend our fall/winter college planning and financial aid events are representative of our multicultural communities and can understand the barriers young people may face in the college application process.
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Our counselors are involved in collegiate Special Interest Groups (SIG) like Black SIG and Catholic SIG making critical connections.
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Counselors try to connect with HBCU’s each year and are continuing to build their HBCU recruitment programming.
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Counselors have visuals (posters, resources) in their offices that are culturally responsive and center collegiate spaces that support intersectional BIPOC youth.
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Virtual college visits are offered at HNA to make it easier for representatives who are unable to travel to the school.
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Resources and speakers are brought in for faculty/staff/administration who are writing letters of recommendation to address implicit bias by gender, race etc. and encourage students to be referred to by preferred name or nickname.
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Counselors offer open time for students to work on their college applications with support, offering one on one time as needed.
