Qualities of our Staff

At PEP, every staff person is a Teacher-Counselor. Our classroom staff, our case managers, our administrators, our office managers, and our clinical staff all aspire to fulfill the ideal of a Teacher-Counselor that Nicholas Hobbs defined over 40 years ago.

The title – Teacher-Counselor – means much more than the combination of the two words. Teacher-Counselors understand that young people need trusting relationships with skilled, competent and caring adults in order to become fulfilled adults themselves.

Young people need to know that adults can be trusted and depended upon as a source of support; that they have great expectations for themselves and for their charges; and that when things go badly, a fresh start is always at hand.

Successful living is achieved by linking together one good day after another until life is overwhelmed by a better way of living. Teacher-Counselors understand that successful living is healing. Helping young people who have hit many a bump in the road gain the confidence and courage to take new risks is a major-league effort. With the trusting guidance of these caring adults, young people learn to work through the challenges of daily living and begin to form a new view of the world and a fresh view of self.

At PEP, the commitment to helping a child achieve successful living is shared by all staff. It is an understood and celebrated component of each person’s job description. We’re proud that everyone on the team is a Teacher-Counselor, helping make every day meaningful for every child, whatever our role.