Counseling & Wellness
At Eastside Academy, we believe that mental health is an essential piece of helping our students restore their sense of purpose and meaning. Our mental health staff works closely with our education and housing teams to ensure continuity and alignment so that a student’s mental health journey has real world application in their life in school and at home.
Counseling
Fulfilling the mission of Eastside Academy means that change is allowed to happen on the deepest level of a student’s life and that such change is inspired within the authenticity, safety, and vulnerability of a Christ-centered community.
Spiritual formation serves as an integral part of our educational and restoration program. Through chapel, contemplative exercises, classroom reflections, community service projects, counseling, and retreats, students engage with God in word and deed, cultivating a deeper awareness of what it means to be a human fully alive and called to life together. This, we believe, occurs through a process of grace and faith, but also through the deliberate collaboration of teachers, administrators, chaplain, counselors, mentors, house parents, families, and the students themselves to consistently respond to the God’s work in our community and in our lives.
Spiritual Formation
Mentors
Positive adult relationships – in and out of the classroom – are an essential component of development and the restoration of hope and trust. In addition to a caring and supportive network of staff members, all EA students are invited to participate in one-one-one mentor relationships. Our mentors come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, and we work carefully to assign mentors to students who will benefit from these specific characteristics. The mentor-student relationship is intended to last throughout a student’s time at EA and often carries on after graduation.
EA’s integrated approach to mental health support is what sets our program apart. Students meet at least weekly with their mental health counselor to discuss challenges and goals both inside and outside of school. Students also attend group counseling sessions as part of their schedule - these sessions help build relationships, confidence, and honor the unique stories of each student at EA.
Whether a student has struggled with trauma, financial insecurity, substance use, anxiety, or has simply been unable to find identity and belonging, EA believes all students are created by God, with unique gifts and purpose, and we stand ready to help them recover their hope and bright future.
