Sophia Coates is a Guidance Counselor at The Grayson School. She received an M.S. in Counseling from Villanova University and a B.A. in Education and Psychology from Dickinson College. In addition to her clinical coursework in family systems counseling, therapeutic strategies with children, and psychopathology, Ms. Coates is both a certified school counselor and a nationally certified counselor (NCC) with more than 700 hours of counseling experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in the Philadelphia area.

Ms. Coates wants her students to feel comfortable seeking help and asking for the resources they need to succeed. She believes it is most important that her students have space and skills to advocate for their needs, regardless of age or grade level. She is trained in Crisis and Trauma Management through the American School Counseling Association and completed the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) training that focuses on small group interventions for students impacted by traumatic events.

Ms. Coates’s final project at Dickinson College focused on school counselors’ multicultural competency, which she further explored in her graduate studies. She feels strongly that multicultural competency is an essential area that requires continual growth and development for all educators.

Originally from rural Maryland, Ms. Coates moved to Philadelphia to attend Villanova and enjoys the fast-paced city lifestyle, new friends, and the plethora of museums that our region has to offer.  She volunteers at Peter’s Place: A Center for Grieving Children and Families located in Radnor in her spare time.