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Hilary M. Hla recently joined Bryn Mawr as the associate director of Counseling Services. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified school psychologist. In the below Q&A, Hilary talks about her work and the services the office provides.

What can you tell us about your role as associate director of Counseling Services?

As the associate director of Counseling Services, I directly support Bryn Mawr students through clinical services including individual counseling, group therapy, and campus and community outreach events. Since my position also includes an administrative component, I’ll have the opportunity to contribute to procedures and changes at the systemic level, which is really important to me in combating issues like systemic racism and oppression of marginalized groups.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

I enjoy supporting college students through issues that arise in emerging adulthood, like identity development, addressing unprocessed childhood trauma, understanding our values, and navigating interpersonal conflicts. I am always humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside students as they develop new narratives for past experiences, helpful ways of thinking, and effective coping skills.

What would you like students to know about Counseling Services?

I want students to know that the learning we do in our college years spans far beyond our academic studies. Emotional intelligence is not something that is typically valued in our K-12 school systems, so we all have so much to learn about the self, the other, and the interplay between the two. Individual and group counseling are just a couple of the possible routes to this type of learning.

What can you tell us about your background and how you became involved in counseling?

I have always valued human connection, helping others, and imagination and creativity (which we use a lot of in therapy!), so this path has always felt right for me. As a multiracial person of color who grew up in a predominantly white town, I’ve also learned and unlearned so much throughout emerging adulthood. I attribute much of this growth to my personal and professional connections to therapy during those years, which is part of why I like to practice in college settings specifically.

Counseling Services