The mission of Hunterdon Central’s Counseling Services Department is to assist all students in academic development, personal/social development and career development. 

This mission is closely aligned with our District vision of “Performance Excellence for Everyone.”   

Counselors, in their unique position as student guides and advisors, play a critical role in the District’s vision.  The high level of service and commitment displayed by our counselors enables our students to experience measurable academic, social, and emotional growth, and to enjoy being a part of our school-community.

To best serve the needs of our students, Hunterdon Central’s Counseling Services Department operates in the structure of a “House System.”  Counselors work in teams to provide services to a specific class of students.   A team of counselors first meets students when they arrive at Hunterdon Central as freshmen.  The same counselors will guide these students through the next four years of their high school experience, advising on academic curriculum and course selection, and assisting in overall development.  This “House System” structure allows a counselor to get to know each student as an individual; this is particularly valuable during the college admissions and career development process, when it provides an optimum structure for counselor-student guidance.

In addition to grade level counselors, Hunterdon Central’s Counseling Services Department also provides specialized counseling services in two critical areas:   

• Student Assistance Counselors work to provide confidential counseling and intervention, as well as social and emotional services and support to students, in the area of addictions.
• The College and Career Center is staffed by a specialist in the college admissions area, who works with grade level counselors, as well as directly with students, to provide an expert, professional approach to the college research, selection, and admissions process.

Counselors at Hunterdon Central view each student as an individual, a unique human being endowed with dignity and worthy of respect. All students’ ethnic, cultural, racial, sexual differences and special needs are considered in planning and implementing the high school’s counseling program.  These goals are in accordance with the American School Counseling Association’s Standards for a Comprehensive Developmental Guidance Curriculum (CDCG).   

Hunterdon Central also believes in the value of active parent involvement in student development.  The Counseling Services Department therefore welcomes parent involvement and is dedicated to a high standard of parent/guardian communication.  Along with encouraging direct parent/counselor communications, the department presents a series of parent seminars on key counseling issues every year, which are available online and broadcast on HCTV-Channel 14, the District’s cable television station.