With a new school year comes new teachers and counselors for Santa Fe. One of these new counselors is Lisa Arsenault.

Her office is decorated with bright, colorful and inviting paintings and pictures of her family as well as the OU football team. Arsenault works in the freshman office along with other office staff including Megan Cline. Together they split students in alphabetical order Arsenault taking A-L students and Cline M-Z. 

Arsenault has two sons ages seven and three which as one can imagine leaves her having to balance her home life and teaching life. In her spare time, Arsenault enjoys hiking and running. She also enjoys some nonphysical activities like Netflix and spending time with family. 

After being asked why she chose Santa Fe, Arsenault explained how a spot for a counseling  job opened and she took the opportunity. 

“I was ready for a change and wanted to go to a school where I could grow more professionally,” Arsenault said.  

Before her counseling job, Arsenault was a therapist at a psychiatric hospital for four years. She did this because she grew up in a family who struggled with mental health problems. After becoming a therapist, she decided to start her journey to becoming a school counselor and headed to Douglas High School in Oklahoma City where she worked  for five years before coming to Santa Fe.

¨I always just felt drawn to working in mental health,¨ said Arsenault. ¨I grew up used to it and wanted to work in the field.¨

As a counselor her doors are opened to anyone who needs to talk. Even though counseling is her job, she truly does enjoy helping students.