Who has brown hair, is an avid Zach Brown fan, and loves to walk her dogs along the Edmonds Waterfront? It could only be Prep’s newest addition to the counseling department, Ms. Christy Dahl! After Ms. Boyle’s retirement following her 31 years as a counselor to the community, Seattle Prep warmly welcomed back Dahl onto faculty and staff.

An alumnus of two Jesuit institutions, Dahl attended Gonzaga University and pursued a double major in political science and psychology while rowing for the Bulldog’s crew team. Originally joining the Prep community in 2016, Dahl worked in the academic office while she pursued a graduate degree in counseling from Seattle University. Following grad school, Dahl interned in the counseling office at Prep from 2018-2019.

When asked to describe the transition into the Prep community as school counselor, Dahl says, “in terms of students, all news faces, but in terms of co-workers, there’s a lot of familiar faces which has made the transition nice and really smooth” For the past 3 years, Dahl worked at Assumption of Saint Bridget as a school counselor.

Dahl’s favorite aspect of Prep is the community. From the very first time she experienced it back in 2016, Dahl continues to be “really impressed with how hard people worked and how hard people work for each other”.

When asked what she would say to a student who is struggling and apprehensive about seeking help or resources from a counselor, Dahl says “yes, it might be scary but know that we’re all here to help lessen that load. What that load is could look so different, maybe its school related, maybe its friends related, maybe it family related, its bigger than just academics in terms of what we do to support in the counseling center.”

Whether it’s good or bad or a scheduled appointment or just a drop-in, Dahl wants students to know that “the stigma is changing slowly, but it still exists, we’re here to help you even if its just seeing a familiar face, getting a piece of candy, working on the puzzle, or having a deep talk, we are here to support you.”

Dahl enjoys taking her two German Shorthaired Pointers, Hudson and Theodore, on long walks to the dog park to swim. She frequents the Saturday market in Edmonds in the summer, and the Christmas market in the winter. With her family living in the area, Dahl loves to spend time with her husband, brothers, and parents.