Counseling and Student Support
At Nativity Prep Boston, we embrace the Jesuit value of Cura personalis, a Latin phrase meaning “care of the whole person.” This philosophy guides every aspect of our Counseling and Student Support Program, ensuring that our students are seen, supported, and celebrated not only as learners but also as young men with unique stories, strengths, and needs.
Here for the Whole Journey
Because Growth Happens Inside and Out
The Role of School Counselors
Counseling is a helping process in which the school counselor provides a safe, nurturing environment. By establishing a trusting, confidential working relationship, students can share their feelings and develop positive solutions to personal issues. Often, the focus is on problem solving, decision making and discovering personal meaning related to learning and development. Parents, teachers, administrators, and students can initiate a referral to the school counselor. The following are some of the ways in which counselors work with the entire school community.
Counseling Services
Counselors are available to provide counseling services to all students. SEL (Social Emotional Learning) is part of the fabric of each school day in and out of the classroom. We aim to destigmatize and normalize addressing the mental health needs of the school community.
- Individual counseling
- Small groups & lunch bunches
- SEL Classroom Workshops: focusing on five core components-
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision-Making
- Facilitating student mediations and restorative practices
- Crisis intervention & support
- Academic skill building: Building executive functioning skills (organization, time management, planning, study strategies)
- Transition planning for high school
From 5th grade through graduation, we build each student’s capacity to take ownership of their learning journey—with a focus on growth, resilience, and responsibility.
Family Partnerships
Families are our essential partners in this journey. Our counseling program provides:
- Ongoing communication and updates
- Parenting support during times of personal or academic difficulty
- Providing resources to support community needs, including
- Food insecurity programs
- Clothing programs
- Behavioral health referrals
Teacher Collaboration
The partnership between teachers and counselors is a key component of our students’ success and feeling supported in our school community.
- Counselors participate in grade-level teams to help identify areas of student need
- Support the creation and implementation of interventions in the school community.
- Provide consultations to faculty regarding mental health
- Facilitate professional development programs
Student Support Services
The Student Support Team works to provide students, families, and teachers with the tools and resources they need to ensure the success of each student academically, behaviorally, and emotionally.
- The Student Support Coordinator acts as a liaison between families, local public schools, and outside services to coordinate IEP and 504 Plan services for students with learning differences
- Identify students facing academic or behavioral challenges and collaborate with teachers to create tailored support plans that promote growth and improvement
- Partner with families to share progress, discuss student needs, and ensure consistent support between home and school
Confidentiality
An important obligation of school counselors is to maintain the confidentiality of their relationships with students. School counselors are obliged not to disclose information that a student has shared within the context of the counseling relationship, unless such disclosures are necessary to protect the student from posing a serious threat to him or herself or to others.
