As a school counselor, TC alumna Gila Belsky Modell, provides social and emotional support to students from pre-K through eighth grade at Atrium School in Watertown, Mass.
But if you ask Modell what her role looks like in practice, she would say it is anything but sitting in her office during the school week and waiting for someone to knock on her door. Instead, her strategy focuses on providing comprehensive support to students, teachers and parents to help kids navigate challenges across various parts of their lives.
“With knowledge of needs, we can support kids in a more thoughtful and critical way,” Modell said. “We work in partnership with each other.”
With knowledge of needs, we can support kids in a more thoughtful and critical way,
Often, she may be found discussing emotional regulation or healthy friendships with students, collaborating with teachers in their classrooms, or building stronger community relations by educating parents.
“I’m educated as a teacher and believe that my goal as a counselor outside the classroom is to help students be more successful in class,” explains Modell, who feels she is able to foster a more supportive ecosystem for students because of the latitude she is given at Atrium, an independent school which prioritizes unique curriculums, small class sizes and co-teaching with differentiated learning instruction.
“Each child has their own experience, and it happens because we’re so hands-on in individualized ways,” says Modell.
It is an approach to counseling that Modell has also refined over more than a decade of experience and study. Raised in a family of educators — including her grandparents who were both seasoned teachers — Modell was drawn into the world of schooling early on.
(Photo: iStock)
“I’ve always been teacher-like and a compassionate caregiver,” she said. While an undergrad at Cornell, Modell’s volunteer work helped her see her truest passion: making a difference in the lives of young people by focusing on education and mental health.
“It was clear I wanted to work on social and emotional needs, and if I was in a classroom, that couldn’t be my priority – academics would’ve come first,” she said. “That was an indicator to me that my passion would be better spent in a different room.”
After teaching middle school, Modell decided to pursue Counseling studies at Teachers College. “It’s the premier preparation for working in schools, so for me there was no question,” she said. “I knew if I could go there, I would.”
Children spend the majority of their lives within a school, and we have the greatest means for impact and interventions in those buildings...If I can support kids through my role, then teachers can focus on what they do and students and teachers can be more successful.
While studying at TC, Modell conducted clinical fieldwork at a public school on the Lower East Side, furthering her dive into the heart of counseling.
“TC surrounded me with a cohort of individuals and inspiring educators passionate about doing similar work,” she said. “It continues to be a hallmark piece of my resume that I had this education.”
After seeing the transformative power of counseling, she hopes school systems can become aware of the value of hands-on counselors — particularly in places where resources often don’t meet needs.
“Children spend the majority of their lives within a school, and we have the greatest means for impact and interventions in those buildings,” Modell said. “If I can support kids through my role, then teachers can focus on what they do and students and teachers can be more successful.”