Health +
Wellness Services

As Williston’s student life curriculum continues to expand, student wellness has taken on a central priority. We believe that physical and emotional wellness is an integral part of academic, professional, and personal success and fulfillment. Read more below about the ever-expanding health and wellness resources available to our campus community.

Health + Wellness Center

Williston’s Health and Wellness Center is located in the white house at 15 Payson Avenue, across from Scott Hall.

Hours

Regularly scheduled clinic hours are:

Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Class Saturday: 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Non-Class Saturday: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Sunday-Friday: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Drop-in visits are welcome during these times. We encourage students to come see us during free periods.
How to Reach Us

Nurses can be reached from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (413) 529-3234. You can also reach a nurse by asking for extension 3234 through the switchboard during those hours. Our fax number is (413) 529-3388.

When the Health & Wellness Center is not open a nurse is always on call. Students and faculty may reach a nurse at the Health & Wellness Center by dialing (413) 529-3911. Nurses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week while school is in session, including during evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Appointments

Visits to the Health & Wellness Center are for students only. Nursing staff visits do not require an appointment and are at no cost. Drop-in hours are during regular office hours.

Appointments to see the school doctor or a counselor are booked through the Health & Wellness Center. Medical appointments with the school doctor are billed to the student’s insurance company

Initial counseling visits are at no cost. Some cost may be associated with routine follow up visits.
About Health Insurance

All students must have health insurance while attending the Williston Northampton School. The school offers international students with a 10 or 12-month health plan.

International families must carry U.S.-based insurance with an American claim address or purchase the plan offered by the school.

Please log into your Magnus Health account to update your insurance information for the upcoming school year.

Expanded Resources

The wellbeing of all Williston students is the central priority of the student life curriculum at Williston. Here are some of our current programs and recent changes:

ACCESS TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

During the academic day, three full-time nurses are available
At night, one on-call nurse and one on-call mental health counselor are available around the clock

TRAINING & EDUCATION

Our mental health training program, the Mental Health First Aid Kit, teaches faculty and students a number of skills, including how to spot depression and signs of suicidal thinking, how to engage students struggling with mental health, and more
Goal of 95% faculty trained, and all students

CHECKING IN WITH STUDENTS

More touchpoints have been added to deepen students’ sense of connection, including additional class assemblies and advisory meetings

RESIDENTIAL SUPPORT

Home to Williston’s younger students, the dorms on the Residential Quad provide a location for age-specific programming and connections
Logan House serves as Williston’s all-gender residential option, and recognizes, accommodates, and respects the complexities of gender identity

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING (DEIB)

In 2021, Williston released its DEIB Strategic Plan. The six-point plan focuses on, among oher things, enhancing the student experience around matters of DEIB. Read more on our DEIB page.

Layers of support for mental health

Under the leadership of Director of Counseling Meg Colenback, we continue to expand the integration of mental health programing outside of individual counseling in Health and Wellness. Important priorities include:

Training our entire community to be a web of support around student wellness and mental health, so that no matter who they go to for support, it’s there to meet them
Broadening the definition of wellness to include dealing with stress and working through the everyday struggles of life, by building skills and learning the language to freely discuss emotions

New programs 2023-24

At Williston, we’re always looking for new ways to support the wellness of our community. Read about our new programs and initiatives for the 2023-24 school year.

Link to news story coming soon

campus with chapel and students at sunset

Our Dedicated Staff

Our staff includes registered nurses with years of experience in pediatric, emergency, student, and community health care, including Director of Health and Wellness Services Amber Mish.

The school doctor and Medical Director, Peter Elsea, M.D. is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and is on the staff of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in nearby Northampton.

Our counseling staff are available to students by appointment and on an as-need basis. Students can make appointments through Health and Wellness Services. These services are available when school is in session during the academic year at no initial cost to the student. Broad categories of psychological services are available.