Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Heller.
Hi Rebecca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My life’s focus is sharing knowledge with others. I absolutely love learning. I find things I love, learn as much about the topic as I can, and share that knowledge with anyone who will listen.
For many years, I worked as a college counselor, supporting high school students with college applications. Students and parents would often fret about what undergraduate major to choose. I would advise students to choose a major in a subject they enjoyed because they may be preparing for a job that doesn’t even exist yet. If you had told me when I was headed off to college—first to be a math teacher, then a film major, then ultimately an art history major—that I would someday be the Director of Student Wellness at an independent school, I would have looked at you blankly wondering what that meant.
In my current role at Viewpoint School (a TK-12 independent school located in Calabasas, California, serving about 1200 students), I focus on student well-being. I have the opportunity to work with transitional kindergarteners through twelfth graders, creating programming and thinking systemically about what supports our students’ health and wellness. The role of Director of Wellness is a relatively new position at most schools. In the last five years, it’s been great to see more and more schools creating the position. While I wouldn’t have known this was the eventual job I would have and love, it does make sense when you look at my history.
I have always been interested in health, well-being, and movement. In high school, back in the early ‘90s, I became a certified aerobics instructor and worked behind the desk at Gold’s Gym in Oakland. In college, I was a dance minor. In New York, I briefly worked as a sales associate at one of the biggest gym chains (before quickly realizing that I am terrible at sales). I ended up working in the film industry for many years, which brought me to LA.
I moved to LA in my late 20s and immediately took up yoga and surfing. My quest for knowledge soon revealed itself. I wrote a book for girls and women called Surf Like a Girl: The Surfer Girl’s Ultimate Guide to Paddling Out, Catching a Wave and Surfing with Aloha. After the publication of the book, I decided to leave the film industry and spent the summer as a surf instructor. I loved working with the kids and teenagers and decided to go back to school to earn my master’s degree in school counseling. When I came out of the program in 2009, it was hard to find a job as a school counselor, so I took a role assisting college counselors at an independent school then earned a spot as a college counselor at Viewpoint School. I loved the job. I worked closely with students, advising them academically and supporting them with college applications. I even helped many of them choose their majors.
But it wasn’t long before I saw the marked rise in anxiety and depression among students that was part of a national trend. I knew something needed to be done.
At fifty, my love of learning and annoying productivity has caused me to accumulate significant knowledge and experience in health, wellness, and education. I am currently earning my doctorate in education, hold a Master’s in School Counseling, and a Bachelor’s in Art History. I am a certified yoga instructor, mindfulness teacher, and council facilitator. I have also earned educational accreditations in emotional intelligence, social-emotional learning, grief training, sexual health, positive psychology, and body confidence. I have personal experience with both Western and Eastern medicine, naturopathy, and Chinese medicine.
I have brought all of these experiences with me to my wellness director role at my school. My hope is that I, along with others at my school, can teach students how to personally care for their mental, physical, and emotional health and seek professional support when needed. In effect, we are offering students a wellness toolkit that they can carry with them to be able to flourish in school and beyond.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Due to my love of learning, I knew I wanted to work towards my doctorate in education (EdD), the most advanced degree in the field of education. Two years ago, I began that journey through Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College online program. The problem of practice, or issue that I have been investigating in my research, is the lack of well-being in students from high-achieving schools. High-achieving schools include both public and private schools that have strong standardized test scores, rich extracurricular offerings and are largely in affluent areas. This topic felt particularly important to me as I have been working at a high-achieving school for the past 14 years and have witnessed first-hand a rise in students who suffer from anxiety and depression. This is not unique to Viewpoint—it is a national trend around the country— and this particular group is now labeled “at risk” because of the immense pressures and stressors they face. This is not to ignore other at-risk groups, including children in poverty and foster care, that need urgent support, but it recognizes that this group of students from high-achieving schools is also experiencing difficulties. These students are often overlooked because of their academic success in school, but we are seeing that some are quietly suffering.
As part of my research, I have the opportunity to investigate what I think might support student well-being. While the issues are nuanced and unique to each individual student, there is rich research showing that mindfulness can help mitigate stress and even reduce anxiety and depression. Therefore, as part of our weekly wellness programming, we will be introducing seven weeks of different mindfulness techniques to 11th-grade students and studying their effect on their well-being. Additionally, I hope to see how students might use mindfulness as a healthy coping skill to combat the stressors of their lives. While I am hopeful that this research will have some impact on our students’ well-being, it is only one of many tools that we need to equip our students with so that they can go out into the world and thrive.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see more and more schools focusing on student well-being and adding wellness director positions. We need to if we want to send students out into the world prepared—not only academically but emotionally. I co-founded the National Association of Wellness Directors, a group of directors of wellness programming at independent schools around the country. Our group meets monthly to discuss best practices in the field and continues to grow each year. One of our goals is to support other independent schools as they strive to support student well-being. It is vital for all of us in education to take up the mantle to support student wellness, and I will be the first to share what I have learned with others so that we can ultimately help all students flourish.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.viewpointschool.org
- Instagram: @viewpointwellness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-heller-24645454/
Image Credits
Verity Paton
