Meet Clare O’Brien, PhD
Founder and Consultant Guiding Light College Consulting, LLC
I provide the luminous clarity of 20 + years in higher education to ensure your student’s success.
Throughout my experience, I’ve seen how a student’s path can be obscured by the complexities of the college search and transition. While I completed both my graduate degrees, I worked in Residential Life for several years, handling crisis intervention and student development programming where the focus was student life outside the classroom. My work at Wheelock College as the Director of Academic Advising included helping students plan their academic program, teaching courses on adjusting to college, overseeing the Director of Accessibility Services and designing a First Year program series.
When it came time for my own children to enter the process of applying to school, I was able to experience the process from a parent's view and understand firsthand the stress this process can take on a family, particularly when there are added factors. After working with many of my children’s friends, I realized that my knowledge and understanding of the experience could be used to help other high school students; thus the creation of Guiding Light College Consulting.
The unique process I have developed in my practice helps to make the task of finding a college less overwhelming for everyone involved. I have often successfully assisted students who have needed additional areas of focus including learning disabilities, mental health concerns or nontraditional high school experiences. I build developing students’ organizational skills into the journey and help them realize that this challenging time in their life can be exciting at the same time.
I founded Guiding Light College Consulting to be the steady beacon for families; providing the clarity of a researcher and the heart of a counselor to ensure that every student finds their way home to a successful college career.
As the Director of International Education at Fitchburg State College, by working closely with the Admission Office, I have assisted hundreds of international students through the application and acceptance process. My years creating and guiding students through study abroad opportunities has solidified my knowledge of helping students find the right fit for their academic college experience. My focus on the individual student and my Masters in Professional Counseling sheds light on helping high school students identify their values and goals in order to find the schools that offer the best fit. My PhD in Higher Education has given me an effective overall view of all the ins and outs of the college student experience which easily allows me to successfully assist students in their first semester with any challenges they may face.