The primary goal of counseling at Sparhawk High School is to support students in their educational and personal development. Our counseling services provide personal and academic counseling to enable students to utilize their talents and make intelligent decisions for their future. Our role is to counsel, consult, coordinate, collaborate and advocate with students, parents and school staff to support academic achievement, and to help students prepare for future endeavors in academics, as well as career and personal social areas.

When personal issues seriously interfere with academic progress, we will appraise the situation and support students. Sparhawk High School has on staff a part-time, Licensed Clinical Social worker who is available for intervention and outside referral as needed. Our counseling staff consider student health or emotional concerns important and they are treated with respect and confidentiality.

Catherine is a teacher, artist and psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor of Art from Bradford College in creative arts and a Master of Social Work from Simmons College. She has taught art therapy, a survey of visual, and performing arts at Bradford College, and creative process at Northern Essex Community College. She worked for a number of years as a clinical social worker at Lowell High School, and maintained a private practice in Haverhill, MA for 10 years.

She enjoys looking for the creative and expressive aspects in everyone. One of her favorite ways of doing this is through teaching. She currently teaches Freshman Seminar at Sparhawk High School.  Her past teaching includes courses in Drum Making, Creativity, Relaxation Techniques, Humor in the Work Place, and The Social and Artistic Implications of the Renaissance, which she taught in Florence, Italy. (Sparhawk, year 12)