The Conservatory Lab emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school community. In order to support student development in these areas, our Counselors are available to work with children individually and/or in small groups to help them develop appropriate social skills and strategies to cope with strong emotions.
Beyond traditional skills groups or individual support, the Counselors work collaboratively with teachers and staff via a variety of techniques to address individual student needs and help them process everything from friendship struggles and changing family dynamics to trauma and grief. These services will be available to students who are mandated for counseling as part of an IEP as well as to the general student population.
Amy Wheeler, M.Ed. is working full-time as the Counselor at our Brighton Campus. Stacey Hayes, M.A., J.D. is our Counselor on-staff in Dorchester. Ms. Wheeler and Ms. Hayes play an integral role in both our Student Support Team (SST) and the school as a whole. They will be supported by our Director of Student Services, Dana Reder, Ed.M. NCSP, throughout the school year.
If you would like more information about our counseling program or the services available, please contact Ms. Reder by email: dreder@conservatorylab.org or by phone: (617) 254-8904, ext. 134.
Dana Reder, Director of Student Services, is a school psychologist who has worked with students from Pre-K to Grade 8 in a wide variety of settings including after-school, public, private, parochial, and charter schools. She received her undergraduate degree in Human Development from Cornell University and a master’s degree in school psychology from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. A long time New Yorker, Dana has also lived in Madrid and worked at the American School of Madrid as the Lower School Counselor for two years. Although she loved living and traveling in Europe, she was happy to return to the United States to be closer to friends and family – and to complete a second master’s degree in neuroscience and education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When she is not working or talking about education, Dana loves to read, watch movies, and do the NY Times Sundaycrossword puzzle.
Stacey Hayes, Counselor, was born and raised in the City of Boston. She has been an educator for more than 20 years in various capacities. After graduating from Suffolk University Law School, she worked in the legal field for more than 10 years and in 2010 decided to step out on faith and pursue her dream of working directly with at-risk youth from a behavioral health perspective. She has been working as a counselor since 2011 and had had the pleasure of working in several Boston charter schools as well as the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS). Besides a law degree, she has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts Degree in Forensics-Counseling Psychology. Additionally, she is an active member of her church where she serves as the Director of Christian Education.
Stacey has two beautiful daughters and one rambunctious cat who keep her on her toes. When not working as a taxi driver shuffling her daughters to/from their activities, she loves to read vampire/werewolf books, cook, swim and SLEEP.
Amy Wheeler, Primary School Counselor, has taught classroom lessons, facilitated small groups, and counseled students individually. She has developed and helped to implement behavior plans, as well as consulted with parents, teachers, outside therapists, community agencies, and administrators. She specializes in positive behavior intervention and supports for elementary-aged students and is passionate about improving the lives of all students. Before coming to Massachusetts, Amy worked as an elementary school counselor in Vermont at the Dothan Brook School for three years. There, she delivered a comprehensive, developmental, preventative, and data-driven school counseling program. Amy has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications/Journalism from Marist College and a Master’s degree in School Counseling from The College of Saint Rose. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, helping with and going to see plays, reading, photography, and spending time with her friends and family.