Counseling

The Counseling department at MBS is headed by the Director of Student Culture and Wellbeing, Ms. Chantal Thornberry, and consists of three counselors, Dr. Sam Tuttle, Mrs. Barbara Smith, and Mr. Sean Latino. Our counselors are experienced school counselors who work together in support of students and as a resource for students, families, and teachers.

Dr. Sam Tuttle joined the Morristown Beard School Wellness Department in 2014 as the Middle School Counselor. He earned his M.A. from New York University in 2000 and Psy.D. from George Washington University in 2005. A licensed psychologist, Sam provides social-emotional support by means of counseling and mediation for Middle School students and consultation for parents and faculty. He also teaches Wellness classes, facilitates faculty training, conducts Parent Coffees, and helps to design and implement Middle School workshops. In addition to his responsibilities as counselor, Sam has coached Middle School sports and often acts as a chaperone for school trips.

Mrs. Barbara J Smith is the Upper School Counselor and the newest member of our Counseling team at Morristown Beard School. She holds a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Clinical Counseling from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In addition, Barbara has attained both her National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification. Barbara comes to us with a decade of experience as a school counselor at Unity Charter School and Kent Place School. Having worked with a diverse clientele of youth and families in both the public and independent school sector, Barbara believes strongly in the important relationship between social emotional learning and overall student success. She empowers students with the necessary skills and tools to build self-awareness and sustain positive self-images and rewarding healthy friendships with others.

Mr. Sean Latino is one of our two Upper School Counselors. In addition to his role as counselor, Mr. Latino serves as a member of the Wellness Department, offering an elective on The Science of Happiness. He graduated from Montclair State University in 2016 with a Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Certification in School Psychology, and Concentration in Child/Adolescent Psychology. Since graduation, Mr. Latino has worked as full-time School Psychologist at Pequannock Township School District, while also maintaining a variety of leadership roles in the Morris and Somerset County School Districts. In addition, Mr. Latino teaches Educational Psychology and Motivation Psychology as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University. 

Ms. Chantal Thornberry joined MBS in July 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English from Emory University and a master's degree in Education from DePaul University. As the Director of Student Culture and Wellbeing, Ms. Thornberry serves on the Senior Leadership Team and evaluates current programming relative to MBS students’ experience to determine how best to enact key initiatives moving forward. Chantal’s primary charge is to help students reach their potential and feel connected in the community by integrating and aligning all aspects of MBS programming related to counseling, wellness education, advising, student leadership development, service, and student organizations. Furthermore, she collaborates with the Director of DEIB to move forward initiatives