As the school said goodbye to the staff that left last year, it also says hello to new faces of the staff this year.  One new member of the Yutan High School staff who is ready to focus on mental health is school counselor Lindsey Madsen.

Madsen graduated from Northwest Missouri State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her master’s degree in school counseling. 

Madsen entered college planning to be in elementary education until her junior year when there was a mental health crisis in Maryville, Mo., where her college was located.  She saw a need for counseling in the schools.

“That (counseling) was a resource that was lacking,” Madsen said.  “They didn’t have the mental health skills set in the schools that they needed, so that really inspired me to take on that role and do something about it.”

After college, Madsen worked at Savannah High School in Savannah, Mo., for three years as a school counselor before taking the job at Yutan.  She researched where Yutan was when she saw the job opening pop up on the Nebraska teaching site.

 “After some research, I found out it was very close to some family,” Madsen said.  “And so that’s when I started exploring the position further.”

Madsen stated that Yutan is smaller than Savannah, but that allows for a “close-knit community.”

“One thing I really noticed is you guys all know your classmates, and your teachers all know you really well,” Madsen said.

Madsen said the counseling department would be ever-changing.

“A lot of what I do in my office stems from the needs of kids and the needs that teachers identify in their classrooms,” Madsen said.  “If there’s a need, we’re going to work to fulfill it.”

Regardless of the needs she’s meeting, Madsen’s main goal while she is at Yutan is that all students know they have someone to go to.

“My whole vision model of practice goal, whatever you really want to call it, is that every student knows that they have someone in their corner at all times,” Madsen said.

Madsen is confident in the students’ abilities.

“I fully believe that students need to know that they have the tools to be successful, as long as they have the drive to find those tools,” Madsen said.  “It’s my role and the role of educators here to help you guys identify those resources.”