Counseling Services

Lower school

Kelley Stoneburner M.Ed - Lower School
Room 92B
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. or by appointment

As a member of the counseling team, Kelley offers counseling services to Lower and Upper School students and families at Visitation. She holds a B.A. in Government from the College of St. Benedict and a Master's in School Counseling from The University of Wisconsin at River Falls.

Kelley is available to meet with students individually or in groups, depending on particular needs. She also serves as a resource to teachers and families when consultation or outside referrals are needed. Kelley had a long career in Human Resources, and then followed her passion of working with kids in educational settings, helping them grow in their social, emotional and academic skills.

Throughout the year, she will be teaching students in their classrooms with lessons on self-control, friendship, perseverance, life skills, etc. She will also organize small groups to meet and focus on strengthening social and emotional skills. She looks forward to helping students deal with anxious feelings and other hard emotions, and she is eager to help remove barriers that interfere with students' love of learning.

About Me

School Counseling is my second career. After graduating from the College of St. Benedict with a degree in Government/Economics, I worked for UnitedHealth Group, Thomson Reuters and Lawson software for over 25 years. I enjoyed my work in Human Resources, but as our two children were going off to college, I decided the time was right to do what I really love - work with kids. I received my Master's in Education-School Counseling from U of Wi-River Falls- four years ago. I am thrilled to be the LS Counselor at Vis and work with this extraordinary staff. It's an exciting time to be a school counselor. The new brain science is proving the importance of social/emotional well being in learning. Teaching children about their emotions is endlessly interesting and fun!

Tracy Bitonti MA - Lower School Counselor
Room 86
651-683-1793
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:45 - 3:15 p.m.

Hello, my name is Tracy Bitonti, or “Mrs. B”, as some of the younger students may call me. I am thrilled to be part of the wonderful Visitation Counseling team, serving primarily in the Lower School. Every week, I teach a Social-Emotional Learning lesson for each class in grades K-5. I incorporate Second Step curriculum, MindUp techniques, as well as children’s literature to help guide our students in developing essential life/school skills. In addition, I work with students individually or in small groups when teachers, parents, or the students themselves request assistance.

I graduated from Loyola College, MD, with a BA in Elementary Education in 1998. After graduation, I taught 2nd grade at a Catholic school in NJ, near where I grew up. It was then that I became drawn to school counseling. I received my Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Services (now known as School Counseling) from Rowan University, also in NJ, in 2002. Upon graduation, I worked at a preK-3rd grade school for two years before leaving to take care of my first child. I was able to fulfill my dream of staying at home full time with her and then later with my other two children. We moved to MN to live closer to my sister and her family in 2014. Since then, I have worked as a teaching assistant and substitute teacher at Our Lady of Grace School in Edina. 

My children are growing quickly, as they all do. Anna is now in high school, JD is in middle school, and Maya is in elementary school. My husband and I have been married for 18 years, but have been friends since we were 14 years old. Along with our children, we live in Eden Prairie with our rescued Lab named Tonka. 

For me, playing and working with dogs are a close second to working with children. I volunteer with Secondhand Hounds when I can, and always end up being the go-to dog sitter when family and friends are in need. Other volunteer activities of mine include being a Girl Scout troop leader for the last 4 years, because Maya loves it so much. I love taking long road trips to see new states, and I could read all day long if I was allowed to. Looking forward to meeting you sometime soon!

Middle SCHOOL

Julie Linscheid MA, PSC -  Middle School Counselor
Room 140B
651-683-1733
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 7:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

My name is Julie Linscheid and I work with our middle school students. Along with the other counselors, I help provide preventive and responsive support for students’ academic, personal, and social needs. I am also overseeing the middle school advisory program and working with our student council leaders. This is my second year as a counselor at Visitation, but I have been the diving coach since 2008. Go Blazers!

Over the years I have spent time as a middle school and high school English teacher, a diving coach, a track and field coach, a College and Career Center coordinator, and now as a school counselor, with a stint as a stay-home mom while my sons were little. I received a BA in history with a women’s studies concentration from St. Olaf College, an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas, and completed my school counseling licensure through Adler Graduate School of Psychology. 

My husband, Nate, who is the Visitation swim coach, and I have two sons who are in 8th and 11th grades. In my free time, I enjoy going for walks in my neighborhood, watching The Great British Baking Show with my family, being with friends and family, reading good books, and listening to interesting podcasts.

Grace Bergmann MA, PSC - Upper School Counselor

Room 140B
651-683-1728
Office Hours: M/T/R 7:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m., floating half day W/F 7:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. or by appointment

My name is Grace Bergmann and I am excited to be a part of the counseling team within the Upper School at Visitation. My main focus when working with students is supporting their overall wellness. This includes supporting students with any social, emotional, and academic needs and encouraging them to use their unique strengths and talents.

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Business from Indiana University in 2013 and worked for a large corporation in Columbus, Ohio for several years after that before realizing I was being called to serve students. I decided at that time to pursue my Master's in Counseling Education from Ohio State University. Upon graduating in 2019, I began working at an all girls', Catholic high school in Cincinnati, Ohio and worked there for two years before relocating and starting at Vis. I am licensed in both Ohio and Minnesota as a Professional School Counselor. 

I love to do pilates, take walks (Minnesota's beauty has really encouraged me to do this more often!), paint, bake, and spend time with friends and family. I am also currently in the midst of wedding planning, which will take place next year.

Please reach out with any questions you may have!

Dr. Jules Nolan, Psy.D., LP - Licensed Psychologist, Nationally Certified School Psychologist
Room 92B
Office Hours: Mondays
Available by phone at any time. Please feel free to contact Dr. Nolan directly at 507-382-5404

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT REMOTE COMMUNICATION WITH THE SCHOOL COUNSELORS:

Since the possibility of going to remote learning exists, here are some notes about school counselors and confidentiality in a remote learning environment that students should be aware of:

• We want to stay in touch with you and support you. Please reach out at any time and we will respond in a timely manner. 

• In the case of urgent matters, please know that we can’t guarantee an immediate response. In the case of an emergency, dial 911, or find crisis numbers here. 

• Your privacy is important to us and we will maintain that by not having others in our home workspaces during Zoom calls, and by not recording conversations with you.  We expect that you do the same.

• Typical limitations to student confidentiality apply to email correspondence, telephone conversations or Zoom conferencing as well. This means school counselors are bound to inform parents/guardians of immediate concerns about the safety of a student or to report suspected abuse or neglect to county protective services. 

• Please let the counselor know if you have any questions about how these limitations apply to particular topics or situations.

• While we typically talk with a student about reported safety concerns first, remote learning does not always allow us timely access to students.  Therefore, if we come to learn about an immediate safety concern for a student we will likely reach out to a parent/guardian to assess the situation and assist the family in establishing appropriate support for the student.