Mental Wellness Ecosystem

Gunston’s program, culture, and 75-acre waterfront campus are intentionally structured to reinforce psychological "protective factors" that build adolescent resilience. Research consistently links access to greenspace with improved mental health, and at Gunston, wellness is driven by the totality of the student experience. By deeply engaging in our supportive peer culture, clubs, sports, and formal mentorship, your child builds healthy self-regard. This natural emotional buffer is further strengthened by built-in structural support, including The Gunston Experience, new student orientation, a dedicated wellness curriculum, and the Center for Academic Success & Support.

1. The promotion of healthy self-regard and reliable family support;
2. A culture that supports academic and personal achievement;
3. Participation in clubs, sports, and religious activities;
4. Appropriate behavioral limits;
5. A safe and supportive peer culture;
6. Strong relational attachments to teachers and healthy adult mentors.

To combat the documented post-2012 spikes in adolescent anxiety and depression linked to smart devices, Gunston has invested in targeted digital wellness. We partner with The Social Institute (TSI) to give students the tools they need to safely navigate the intersection of technology and their social experiences. Rather than focusing solely on restrictions, TSI’s research-backed programming empowers students to manage their digital footprints positively, protecting their mental health while preparing them for future success.

Gunston partners with Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) to provide students, faculty, and parents with the skills needed to make healthy, intelligent choices regarding substance use. Each year, FCD hosts an engaging, multi-day educational intensive on our campus. Driven by a research-based "social norms" model, we regularly administer FCD’s anonymous Student Attitudes and Behavior Survey—a scientific, 50-question instrument that measures actual student behaviors and perceptions to keep our wellness programming highly targeted and effective.

Gunston’s advisory program is a foundational cornerstone of daily emotional support and connection. Co-designed with insights from Dr. William Damon of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, our extended advisory period—called Community, Belonging, and Leadership (CBL)—provides structured time for deep student-to-advisor and peer-to-peer relationships. The CBL curriculum is intentionally built to step away from traditional academic pressure, focusing instead on fostering individual purpose, facilitating meaningful discussion, and building a joyful community.

At Gunston, some of our most impactful health and wellness programming is completely student-designed and student-led. Our students actively shape campus culture and support community well-being through several vital organizations. This includes the Mental Health Awareness Club, which drives our anti-bullying Unity Day and Mental Health Awareness Week; the Ambassadors for Community and Belonging (ABC Club), which coordinates our dynamic annual Civic Learning Day; the Christian Athletes Club, exploring intersections of sport and personal values; and the Gay-Straight Alliance, which provides a supportive, protective space for our LGBTQ+ youth.

Gunston provides ongoing training for faculty and staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid, a certified national program sponsored by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. This equips our educators with the vital skills needed to identify, understand, and respond early to signs of mental health or substance use challenges, or a student experiencing a crisis. Concurrently, all 10th-grade students complete a specialized adolescent depression awareness program through Johns Hopkins University as part of The Gunston Experience curriculum.

Through our partnership with Waypoint Wellness, a licensed clinician is on-site weekly to help students manage stress, build self-regulation skills, and navigate social or academic challenges. Waypoint also collaborates directly with our staff to integrate school-wide mindfulness and crisis-monitoring programs. While parental consent is required and the clinician does not provide formal psychological treatment or assessment on campus, their targeted presence ensures that immediate emotional barriers to your child's day-to-day well-being and success are swiftly resolved right at school.