Tucked up the stairs in the buildings Hazy and Wang, the school’s three counseling offices are easy to overlook, but students who find their way there rarely forget them.
Harvard-Westlake is home to three counselors’ offices, each with its own comforting ambiance. The middle school psychologists are Kelly Decker, Jullian Lee, and Emily Joyner. Kelly Decker’s space in Hazy 334 centers around a comfortable couch, the kind you sink into when the day has worn you down and you just need a moment to breathe. Jullian Lee’s room in Wang 317, meanwhile, is stocked with an impressive collection of fidget toys, perfect for restless hands and minds. Joyner’s room in Hazy 335 has a warm, inviting atmosphere, filled with fun activities like bracelet-making. Together, the rooms create something rare in a school building: a place that actually feels designed for students with jewelry-making materials, candy, and couches that invite you to stay awhile.
“Our role as school counselors begins outside our offices,” Decker said. Connection, they say, doesn’t wait for a scheduled session. It happens everywhere, from cafeteria lines to locker bays to club meetings. “Even small moments of connection matter and can make us feel safe and at ease with others,” Lee said. Their offices are simply where that connection deepens.
Students come for all kinds of reasons. A rough day. A complicated friendship. A grade that isn’t budging. Or sometimes, no reason at all—just a need for somewhere quiet to land. The counselors’ goal is simple: make every student feel known.
“When we feel validated by others, we feel known, seen, heard, understood, and supported,” Joyner said. Something as small as a warm smile or a “how are you?” can be enough to open the door.
That matters especially at this age. “Teens at this age are going through so much change that it tends to heighten their self-consciousness – and make them feel like nobody else understands,” the counselors said. But “by building connection, our role is to help reduce these thoughts and feelings and fortify their self-confidence,” they said.
When students are struggling, the counselors focus first on what’s needed in the moment. “Often when we become distressed, we just need comfort—a quiet, cozy place where we can take the time we need to feel our emotions, to honor our emotions and allow them the time they need to pass.” And for the longer journey ahead? “Emotions are like waves in the ocean,” Decker said. “They are always coming and going.” Their job is to ride that wave with you, side by side.
For students who feel hesitant about walking in alone, the team has a simple suggestion: don’t.
“If meeting individually still feels too anxiety-producing or just sounds plain awkward, grab a friend and come by together,” they said. The office is open for homework, music, drawing, eating, avoiding bad weather, and everything in between.
As for what truly makes the space feel like home: the candy might have something to do with it. Decker swears by Sour Patch Kids. Joyner reaches for Nerds. Lee keeps it simple: anything chocolate.
The door, they want students to know, is always open.
