Speeding from teaching Wellness class, to advising Peer Helpers, to administering the Upper School, to planning retreats, to providing one-on-one counseling, to attending family meetings, Upper School Counselor Susanna Short has a wild schedule. While the wide breadth of her involvement allows her to bless almost every member of the US with her guidance, the far-reach of Short’s schedule spreads her availability impossibly thin.

The time has long passed to add at least one additional counselor for the 419 students enrolled in the Upper School.

“Adolescence is a time of enormous change and growth, and we recognize the need for social and emotional support for all of our students as they navigate the teenage years and the transition to college,” the counseling page of the SPA website states. The school promises support for all students, but offers only one counselor.

In addition to suffering the “time of enormous change and growth” of adolescence, students must manage the emotionally-charged social issues exacerbated in the pressurized, small private school environment. For some people, being able to talk to a licensed counselor about a problem has life-changing effect.

Many stressed students will find it easier to forgo counseling because their schedule does not align with that of the one very busy counselor.

However, if the services of a second counselor were available, a student’s fears that his or her problem is not important enough would diminish. With an additional counselor, seeking a comforting conversation would not seem like such a big deal.

Not only would a second counselor increase the availability of someone to talk to, but also the probability that the person available to talk would be relatable. Another counselor with a different background than Short may allow a greater variety of students to seek out support.

With the increased prevalence and comfort of counseling sessions, there would be more time for counselors to collaborate on and divide the duties Short currently juggles on her own.

Everyone has problems. Some problems are bigger, but everyone has issues in their life that may need the attention of an outside person. Short does an incredible job of supplying this attention, but she is only one person who can accommodate only so many students.

Students: it’s time to let administration know when there is the need but not an available time to see the counselor. Administration: as the search for new faculty and staff begins this spring, it’s time to expand the counseling department and post a position for a second US Counselor or Wellness educator.

The SPA community will be healthier for it.