The one thing many parents, students, and educators alike use to describe high school is the pressure, and teachers will often tell you that this pressure have only gone up over the past few years. Many students acknowledge that while some teachers can have a role in helping their students, they don’t have the same emotional and mental impact as a counselor.

Recently returning to Westwood as a counselor after getting her certification, Ms. Jeanine Edson is eager to explore the nuances of her new role at her old campus. Previously, Ms. Edson taught Latin, English, and SAT prep at Westwood, but as she witnessed societal strain on teenagers increase over her 20+ years in the industry, she realized she was needed in a different role.

“I just felt like in my classes, more and more students needed more and more support — emotional support, [and] mental health support [specifically],” Ms. Edson said.

After having the same students in class multiple times and being able to see them grow both as students and as contributors to the community, Ms. Edson felt the need to support them in a way that someone with power over their grades couldn’t. 

“It is a different kind of relationship that you can have as a counselor,” Ms. Edson said. “When I was in high school, I really thought that I was going to go to college, and go to med school and become a psychiatrist. So I had already had a long interest in mental wellness.”

Learning the new ways of Westwood is one of the things Ms. Edson is most excited about, but she anticipates needing support from the staff as she transitions into this new position. Eager to transition back into Westwood, Ms. Edson is also glad to see some of her old friends and is excited to work with them again.

“I think the counseling team here is fantastic. Everyone [is], from the teachers, administrators, and even custodians,” Ms. Edson said. “[Being able] to reconnect with everyone has been really humbling and lovely.”

After taking a break from working with students, Ms. Edson admits that she is intimidated by the task of taking care of so many students. She also looks forward to working with each one of them, even if she only sees them for a few minutes out of the whole year.

“That’s one of my biggest goals, is just to get to know my students. I think my prime goal is to be supportive, to help my students, and to know who they are,” Ms. Edson said.