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Our Mission
The Putney School Counseling Office provides accessible, culturally informed, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate counseling services that empower students of all identities and backgrounds to learn from their experiences, trust in their own abilities, and grow to their fullest potential within our school community. Our services help Putney students reduce psychological symptoms, cope with difficult life events, and experience positive growth in their personal and academic endeavors.
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We Believe
- Asking for help in times of struggle is integral to becoming a lifelong learner.
- Each community member is unique and should be treated with respect and dignity.
- Good supportive connections help all community members find hope, meaning, and resilience.
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Click the Photos to Meet Our Mental Health Professionals
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Our Services
Our mental health professionals provide brief individual counseling, consultation, and campus seminars. Common student concerns include:
- Adjustment and phase of life concerns
- Stress and emotion regulation
- Homesickness
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief and loss
- Sexuality and identity exploration
- Intimate relationship and friendship concerns
- Family issues
- Social and life skill development
- Eating and body image
- Substance use
Students can meet for brief individual counseling sessions on a weekly, bi-weekly, or drop-in basis. Campus counselors are available for sessions Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. All services provided by campus mental health professionals are free for students. Our counselors strive to provide a safe, confidential, and nonjudgmental environment for students to talk about anything that is bothering or interfering with their lived experience at Putney. Stop by or email counseling@putneyschool.org for an appointment.
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Equity and Inclusion
The Putney School Counseling Office staff strives to provide services that are uniquely tailored to each student’s needs. Students who seek our services have varied and intersecting relationships with their racial and ethnic identities, gender, sexual identity, social and economic class, religious affiliation, nationality, and/or disability status. We are strongly committed to offering services and programs that are inclusive, and give voice to these varied experiences by providing a safe place for students of all identities to be heard, accepted, and supported. We recognize that the cultures and backgrounds of some students present barriers to accessing counseling services, and understand that we must respond with respect and creativity to create access to culturally appropriate support resources. We also recognize that these goals require all counseling staff to engage in ongoing personal and professional development to deepen and broaden cultural knowledge, self-awareness, and competency.
BIPOC Student Mental Health Resource Guide
Resources curated in support of Putney students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-- and to uphold our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
Treatment Directories
- VT Mental Health and Wellness Practitioners of Color Directory - publicly available and designed to promote the visibility of BIPOC practitioners in Vermont, as well as to facilitate referrals.
- InnoPsych - a directory of therapists of color and wellness resources designed and created for therapists and therapy clients of color.
- TruCircle - find a therapist for in-person or online therapy; search according to zip code and/or presenting concern (e.g. depression, anxiety, grief, stress, etc.)
- National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network - healing justice organization that actively works to transform mental health for queer and trans people of color in North America.
- Melanin & Mental Health - a directory promoting and advocating for culturally competent clinicians dedicated to helping minority communities. Search according to clinician ethnicity/race, license type (e.g. psychologist, counselor, life coach, etc.), presenting concern, insurance type, age range, and language.
- Therapy for Black Girls - a directory and online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. Search according to state licensure, virtual or in-person services, and topics of concern.
- Therapy for Black Men - a directory providing targeted resources and a database of professionals equipped to support men and boys of color seeking mental health support.
- APISAA Therapist Directory - a directory for Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian Americans (APISAA). Search according to state licensure; virtual options are available.
BIPOC Mental Health Resources
- The Steve Fund - an organization dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color. The organization works with schools, researchers, mental health experts, non-profits, and young people to build understanding and promote strategies for assisting young BIPOC individuals build and maintain positive mental health. The Steve Fund offers student workshops, programs, and services led by mental health professionals. Topics include self-care, racial healing, coping, and addressing microaggressions and racial incidents. Students can also text to connect with live, trained BIPOC crisis counselors.
- BEAM: Black Emotional & Mental Health - a collective of advocates committed to the mental health and healing of Black communities. BEAM’s mission is to remove the barriers that Black people experience in accessing and maintaining access to emotional health care and healing. It fulfills its mission through education, training, advocacy, and the creative arts. Website offers tips, articles, toolkits, worksheets, and video series sharing the voices of Black advocates, writers, artists, and therapists on the most pressing issues in mental health.
- Black Mental Health Alliance - culturally-relevant educational forums, training, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and their communities. Serving clinicians, the community, individuals, families, and children.
- Eustress, Inc. - a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness to the importance of improving and preserving mental health within the Black community. Eustress provides mental health management and supportive resources through educational content, interactive programming, and strategic partnerships with other mission-driven organizations, paying special attention to students, young adults, and athletes.
- National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network: Mental Health Fund - provides financial assistance to queer and trans people of color to increase access to mental health support for and by QTBIPoC. The program is designed to provide financial support for QTBIPoC to work with psychotherapists in an effort to address the economic barriers inherent in healthcare and the mental health system.
- Harriett's Apothecary - an intergenerational healing collective led by Black Cis Women, Queer and Trans healers, artists, health professionals, magicians, and activists committed to co-creating accessible, affordable, liberatory, healing spaces that recognize and inspire people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Free to sliding scale services, workshops, events, leadership training, and listening circles offered seasonally.
- Black Men Heal - provides access to mental health treatment (up to 8 free sessions, application needed), psychoeducation, and community resources to men of color. Goals include removing stigma, matching providers and clients, and reducing/eliminating costs of mental health treatment.
- Latinx Therapy - provides wellness and mental health resources (podcasts, YouTube channels, apps en espanol and English).
- We R Native - comprehensive health resources for Native youth, by Native youth, providing content and stories about the topics that matter most to them. We R Native strives to promote holistic health and positive growth nationally.
- Asian Mental Health Collective - aims to de-stigmatize and normalize mental health within the Asian community. Provides hotlines, mental health faq (frequently asked questions), organizations directory arranged by country/state, and a therapist directory.
- Brown Girl Therapy - mental health community for “all children of immigrants to explore bicultural identities and discuss taboo topics as they pertain to mental health and wellness in this world and in relationships.” Includes online community, newsletters, resources, news/events, and other tips and resources.
Apps
Podcasts
Watch
- Basic Black: WGHB Studios in Boston - the longest running program on public television focusing on the interests of people of color. Each episode features a panel discussion across geographic borders and generational lines with the most current stories, interviews, and commentaries.
Self-Care for Individuals Who Are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Counseling Office Professional Development-- Advancing Culturally Competent Care
(Please note that this inclusion is meant to create transparency into the on-going education and training of the Putney Counseling Services staff. Annual professional development in the areas of multicultural competence, culturally conscious therapeutic practice, and social justice are mandatory for our staff, per the Putney Counseling Office Policies & Procedures.)
- 2-part workshop with AISNE: Understanding Microaggressions In the Age of Black@ (9/22/21)
- 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Day 21 Day Equity Challenge with Lisa Muñoz, Putney School Director of Equity & Inclusion (January-February 2021)
- 3-part interactive workshop with Dr. Liza Talusan, nationally recognized facilitator, educator, and strategic partner in issues of race, racism, and difficult conversations (2/3/21, 2/10/21, 2/17/21)
- Putney School staff/faculty DEI and Anti-Racist working group-- Topic: Equity & Acess to Campus Resources (Winter & Spring Terms 2021)
- Social Injustice & the Power of Somatic Therapy, presented by Glenda Clare, PhD, LCAS, CCS, LAPC (Summer 2021)
- Cultural Somatics, presented by Resmaa Menakem, healer, author, and trauma specialist (Summer 2021)
Please feel free to email counseling@putneyschool.org to suggest additional resources or discuss any of the resources listed above.
This guide is intended to provide users with general information. Putney Counseling Services staff do not endorse any specific professionals, tests, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned within this guide. These resources are to be utilized at the discretion of the user.
BIPOC Substance Use Support
Treatment Directories
- Resources for Indigenous Women - This guide features plentiful resources to empower and strengthen Indigenous Women. The guide was put together by the team at Southeast Addiction Center.
- Support for BIPOC Parents - An extensive resource list curated for BIPOC parents. This guide was put together by the experts at Louisville Addiction Center.
- Resources for Indigenous Women - This guide features plentiful resources to empower and strengthen Indigenous Women. The guide was put together by the team at Southeast Addiction Center.
- Live Another Day - Live Another Day was founded with the purpose of providing equal access to life-saving resources. They offer dozens of resources for finding help for mental health and substance use.
- Resources for Black Women - Newly updated for 2023, this guide features over 50 fully-vetted resources for Black women written by the team at Southeast Detox.