Welcome to the Student Guidance home page. For more information on the Student Guidance department, please contact our department chair - Mrs. Sharon Byrne, at sharon.byrne@ignatius.org or by phone at 312.432.8330. For a complete faculty and staff contact list, please visit our Contact Info page.

Guidance is the process of helping individuals achieve the self-understanding and self-direction necessary so she or he can live up to his/her God-given potential as a student in a Jesuit, Catholic school, as a member of a family, and as a member of the community. In addition, because Saint Ignatius is a Catholic school, the counselors provide each student every opportunity to grow in love and maturity in Christ.

Student Assignments
Each student is assigned to a counselor upon entering Saint Ignatius.

Counselor-Student Relationship . Counselors seek to develop a caring relationship with each student. This relationship helps to promote a spirit of encouragement, understanding, acceptance, and trust.

Counselor-Parent Relationship . In order to understand each student, it is helpful to understand his/her family. Communication from home can foster a mutually helpful and supportive climate for the young adult. Parents are free to call their child's counselor any school day. 

Counselor-Teacher Relationship . The counselors work closely with the teachers. Without violating confidentiality, the counselor serves as the student's advocate to help enhance the learning process and student-teacher relationships.

Counseling Process. Individual and group counseling interventions are used. Regardless of the particular type of counseling, the goal is to promote student growth toward becoming a self-motivated, Christ-centered, young adult.

Guidance Department Programs/Offerings

• Summer Study Skills Workshops for incoming freshmen
• Freshmen orientation including a welcome program and a senior Arrupe mentor
• Study Skills review sessions during the school year
• Substance Abuse Prevention, including: Freshmen Parent and Student Night, Sophomore Parent and Student Night dealing with adolescent issues, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Teen DUI Prevention Program (for juniors) and the Crash program for DUI Prevention (for seniors).
• A Group Counseling Program including groups dealing with teen issues, divorce, eating concerns, stress management, sexual orientation, substance abuse, grief/loss and chronic medical conditions.
• A semester exam test preparation guide for freshmen and sophomores
• Leadership training for seniors through our Arrupe Mentor program
• Extended time semester exams for any student with a documented need for this service
• Extended time College Board and ACT exams for any student with a documented need for this service per approval by the College Board or ACT.
• An at-risk program for students in need
• A tutor referral list and peer tutoring
• Goal setting---academic, spiritual, extracurricular, social and service correlating with our “Grad at Grad” goals
• Academic counseling during the registration process
• The opportunity to make friends and develop leadership skills in Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.)