the benefits of dunham's school counseling program

August 2024

Throughout Baton Rouge, The Dunham School is well known for how unique it is—as a school and as a community. The school has many strengths, but a defining highlight is the thousands of Christ-centered relationships that occur in and around it daily. Parents confidently drop their children off knowing they will be educated and cared for on a more personal level than anywhere else in the city. 

Another unique feature that allows Dunham to stand out is our mental health counseling team. Most schools and colleges have counselors; however, there is often a gap in need and resources. Many school counseling departments are understaffed and struggle to not only keep up with the workload, but also to take advantage of vital relationship-building opportunities in the student and parent communities.

At Dunham, we see the increased need for expanded mental health resources and relationship support. Our proactive approach to meeting this need is on display with a team of three unique counselors. We, as a counseling staff, are diverse in how we help and serve the community as a whole. A few benefits are education of the student body about mental/relational health, providing resources and guidance for parents, and creating a healthier student body environment.

The counseling program also allows our students to enjoy a higher quality of life at Dunham ranging from guidance in developing and achieving goals, emotional and social development, behavioral improvement, teacher resources, resilience, decision-making and problem-solving skills, early prevention of negative issues (bullying, self harm, etc.), and healthy Christian social relationships.

These are just some of the areas we as counselors affect student life and the Dunham environment as a whole. Humans of all age ranges and demographics rate their quality of life by the quality of their relationships and their health. The counseling team at Dunham believes students will have the highest quality of experience here when they feel known, cared for, and heard. 

We also know that parents are the foundation of a child’s well-being. This year we are adding new parent education resources ranging from regular electronic communication to in-person seminars on relevant topics. 

All of us here on the Dunham counseling team are praying for a healthy school year!