Middle School Counselor Rachel Houtman: Supporting Mental Health Awareness at Bush

“My connection to Bush is when I was in grad school in 2009, I took a class about school counseling and loved it,” Rachel said. “Upper School Counselor, John Ganz, was actually one of my professors. He saw how interested I was in this work, so he brought me to Bush for a day to shadow him, and it was just so cool–the number of kids you get to work with. I saw how happy he was in his current role, and I thought that would be the ultimate job, working as a school counselor.”

With a robust background in public school counseling, nonprofit work, and Drug and Alcohol Counseling, Rachel arrived at Bush well-versed and ready to take on a new path. After over a decade of working in her own private practice and public schools, she applied to Bush to gain experience in a K-12 private school. 

“I am really impressed with Bush’s diverse student body and mission statement,” Rachel shared. “And now that I work here, I feel like each division counselor does a great job of trying to bring that to the table.”

Prior to working full-time as the Middle School Counselor, Rachel held a part-time position while earning a post-master’s certificate in School Counseling.  Now on campus full-time, she feels much more involved in students’ lives and empowered to make an impact. 

“I feel like I have hit the ground running,” she said. “I see a lot of students, and these past few months, I have been in the Wellness classes for the mental health and substance use units.  I feel like I’ve had so much exposure, and now I feel more part of the community now that I am here full-time.” 

Rachel has since started Mental Health Mondays, where she provides a slide in the Blazer Blitz with mental health tips and techniques. One example is her lesson on 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Techniques. 

“In the moment, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, you want to get out of your mind and ground yourself,” Rachel explained. “You identify five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This centers you, helps bring you back to the here and now.”

Rachel aims to share a slide with helpful information every Monday and is excited to take part in K-12 collaborative events that bring together school-wide mental health awareness efforts, push students to step outside their comfort zones, and strengthen bonds among peers, encouraging them to learn from one another. For Mental Health Awareness Month, each division counselor will hand out bracelets Rachel designed for Mental Health Awareness Week to Bush students. They read affirmations such as: "Mental Health Matters," "I am enough," and "Be kind to your mind." The Upper School Wellness Committee students will assist with handing out the bracelets, and Middle School students will distribute them throughout the Lower School.

“In this role, you can’t be afraid to speak up,” Rachel said. “Especially in the face of injustice. I have students act out scenarios in which they practice resolving conflict through conversation. I’m also all about normalizing therapy, because not everyone is comfortable opening up.” 

By recognizing students’ mental health needs and habits, and by integrating a variety of mental health-centered courses and events throughout the school year, the Bush community remains committed to mental resilience, awareness, and connection. Bush supports the purpose of Mental Health Awareness Month not just in May, but all year long. By debunking harmful stigma surrounding mental illnesses, Bush stands strong as a community and emphasizes that no one should struggle on their own.