Max Charles Alovisetti Director of Counseling and Chair, Department of Psychology PA Start Date: 1986 On Meditation: Along with several colleagues, Alovisetti developed the first meditation program for Andover. While on sabbatical in Nepal, he studied at a Tibetan monastery. Other PA Roles: Counselor, Instructor of Psychology, Wellness Educator Before PA: A special education and elementary school teacher; worked as a U.S. Army civilian child and adolescent psychologist in Frankfurt, Germany
Max C. Alovisetti
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n December 2015, the beautiful new Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center opened in the center of campus, marking a new era in PA’s commitment to lifelong health and wellness. It was a bittersweet moment for Max Alovisetti, who spent his 30-year PA career counseling students in historic Graham House. Walking through Graham House during his “official” retirement photo shoot, Alovisetti described how the quirky triangular building had been renovated and rearranged to accommodate the needs of staff and students through the years. Inside his office, the leather chair showed the results of his many counseling sessions, the armrests indented and worn down from use. Reflecting on his years at Andover, Alovisetti recounted a very difficult time at PA following the tragic loss of a student on campus. Though the experience shook the community to its core, Alovisetti says Andover eventually was “able to weather this crisis and to emerge somewhat battered, but whole and able to go on with life and our tasks as part of this great school.”
This ability to help students address personal crises and move forward in a compassionate manner is what many appreciate most about Alovisetti. One alumna recalled that Alovisetti started a group her senior year comprising students who had lost immediate family members. “I remember thinking, ‘How weird that Graham House has invited me for a meeting,’” she said. “But that group changed my life. I was in the throes of being angry and upset about the passing of my mother the prior spring and felt like no one could possibly empathize with me. Then there came this group. It gave us a space to feel safe and share, and it made us into a little bit of a family. I have the best memories of that group; it helped me more than anyone knows.” While he has helped so many through the years, Alovisetti says that he is the one who is appreciative. “During the course of my career, I have been privileged to witness the courage and strength of our students. For that, I am deeply grateful.”
Andover | Summer 2016
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