AWren Advisors
Expert Academic and Developmental Guidance for Adolescents
Students | Families | Professionals
The high school years are among the most challenging and formative periods in a young person’s life. Academic pressure, social dynamics, identity formation, and the transition to college; these are not just milestones to manage. They are critical developmental moments that shape who your child becomes.
AWren Advisors offers something different: relational, expert support that centers your student's identity and wellbeing while guiding them through high school and into what’s next.
What if your teenager had someone in their corner who truly believed in them?
THE AWREN MODEL
This is not traditional college counseling.
Most college consultants focus on the application cycle. AWren accompanies adolescents through the years that shape who they become, centering identity, wellbeing, and the parent-student relationship at every stage.
The whole adolescent
Identity, wellbeing, and relationships matter alongside academic outcomes. We center the human at every stage, not the applicant they're being asked to become.
Parents as partners
Parents remain central to their adolescent's life. AWren strengthens that connection, and supports parents in navigating their own experience of these years.
Who they are becoming
The high school years can be more than something to get through. Through a sustained, caring relationship, we accompany students into stronger, more grounded versions of themselves.
Meeting students where they are
Families can begin in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade for a single year of intensive support, a multi-year partnership, or anything in between. The engagement fits the student and the moment.
Who this is for.
AWren works with a small number of families at a time. Here’s who we are the right fit for.
Students
In grades 9–12 and navigating the complexity of high school
Need more than logistical help; they need someone who truly sees them
Balancing academics, activities, athletics, and social pressures
Value authentic connection with a knowledgeable adult who believes in them
Families
Want a partner through the high school years, not just a service provider
Want to strengthen — not outsource — their connection with their student
Want to be seen and supported in their own experience as parents of an adolescent
Understand that these years are foundational to who their student becomes
Are preparing for what comes after high school — college, gap year, or other paths
What families say.
“Kristen showed me I was rushing past the part that mattered most — holding space for the disappointment instead of trying to fix it. What surprised me was that I left those conversations with tools for navigating my own feelings, not just my daughter's.”
— Natalie, parent of Class of 2026
“Kristen gave us space each week to voice the worries, hopes, and fears we weren't sure we were allowed to have — and helped us grow through this transition alongside our son while offering him steady guidance through the social and emotional challenges of boarding school life.”
— Christine & Paul, parents of Class of 2026
ABOUT KRISTEN
20 years watching what happens when a student feels truly known.
Kristen Peterson spent two decades in independent and boarding schools as a Dean of Students, Director of Advising, Director of Residential Life, and classroom teacher. She has worked alongside adolescents through their most challenging years, not from the outside, but from within the relationships that shaped them.
The AWren Model emerged from witnessing what happens when students have a consistent, caring adult who truly knows and believes in them, and from seeing the gaps that exist when that support disappears.
She holds a master's degree from Dartmouth College and works with families both regionally (Massachusetts) and nationally.
20 years in boarding and independent school student life, college counseling, and youth development
Roles include Dean of Students, Dean of Student Life Programs, Director of Advising, Director of Residential Life, Associate Athletic Director
Thought leader around adolescent wellbeing and technology
Public speaker on adolescent wellbeing, delivering research-grounded talks on screen use, nature, and teenage health to parent and community audiences across New England
Taught 9th Grade Health & Wellness and Leadership
M.A., Dartmouth College · B.A., Trinity College
Ready to learn if AWren is the right fit?
We start with a conversation. No pressure or commitment, just an honest look at what your student and family need, and whether we're the right partner for it.
(717) 491-4000 | kristen.peterson@awrenadvisors.com