Student Life

Counseling

Groton School's Counseling Department is in the Schoolhouse, easily accessible to students. An ancillary office is in the Wellness Center in Hundred House. The Counseling Department is staffed with three licensed clinicians, all with master's or doctoral degrees, and a health and wellness educator. Groton School also provides clinical internships for master's and doctoral students.

Health and Wellness Program

Wellness programming is an integral part of a Groton student's experience on campus. We each develop our overall wellness through many interconnected areas of our lives, including the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual. Wellness programming at Groton School aims to help students learn to balance all of these areas. Yoga, mindfulness, and meditation are a few ways our students bring balance into their busy lives.

We hold special events, too, such as "make your own essential oils" and "paws and relax" with our canine "counselors," both big hits among the student body. "

Therapeutic Services

At Groton, licensed clinicians are available to provide individual counseling to all students. Students may request appointments at counseling@bianlifan.com or by phoning or emailing individual counselors. 
 
Students are introduced to the Counseling Office during orientation and at Health and Wellness events; the office is friendly and casual, and students are encouraged to reach out. Sometimes students refer themselves; at other times they may be referred by advisors, faculty, peer counselors, or parents/guardians.
Groton School is part of a consortium of peer schools that promotes integrated mental health care, a model defined by the group as "a specialized, efficient form of preventive education and psychotherapeutic treatment" that takes place on the school's campus, as part of an overall health and wellness program, with the support of administrators and colleagues, and at no additional charge to the student. 
 
Mental health care is one part of Groton's approach to student well-being. The Counseling Office recognizes the importance of our Health Center, as well as health education, residential life, athletics, and spirituality programming as potential contributors to each student's well-being. We all work together to keep our community healthy.

Peer Counseling

As peer counselors, we are a trained group of approachable individuals who aim to foster a community of open-mindedness and trust. We want each student to have a supportive outlet for advice and guidance.–Peer counselors' mission statement
 
Peer counseling is based on the idea that young people prefer to seek out their peers for help when experiencing challenges, frustrations, concerns, or general problems. Peer counselors are not therapists or professional counselors, but individuals who are trained to help others think through and reflect on the challenges they may be experiencing.
 
Peer counselors help others, but also benefit from their specialized human relations training and the opportunity to help others, which contribute to their own personal growth. 
Peer counselors are sensitive listeners who use communication skills to facilitate self-exploration and decision-making. They are available to help students any time, and their counseling sessions are informal discussions and conversations.

At Groton School, peer counseling is at the heart of the counseling program. Peer counselors are recruited through a rigorous screening and selection process, with a deliberate focus on a selecting a diverse group that represents the student population. Each peer counselor completes the nationally recognized BACCUS Certified Peer Educator program. Training focuses on communication styles; conflict-resolution, active listening, and basic counseling skills; assertiveness; guidance on how and when to refer to a professional counselor; and ethical expectations. Beyond providing counseling support and encouragement to fellow students, peer counselors are involved in outreach programs and community projects in collaboration with Active Minds and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Peer counselors receive ongoing supervision by the school's Counseling and Wellness staff.

Working collaboratively with prefects, dorm heads, and school therapists, peer counselors play an essential role in supporting and encouraging students.

Active Minds

Active Minds is a campus student-led organization whose mission is to support mental health awareness and education. Events and outreach strive to destigmatize mental health issues. The close relationship of Active Minds members to the campus community allows for creative and prompt responses to the specific needs of our campus. Dedicated Active Minds members can effect significant change at the community level, which in turn can have impact on a broader, even global, level as well.

Meet the Office

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Groton School
Groton School Mission: To inspire lives of character, scholarship, leadership, and service within a diverse, inclusive, and close-knit community.
282 Farmers Row
Groton, MA 01450
Tel: 978-448-3363
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