By Katherine Xie (V) This school year, Dr. Julie O’Rourke joins the faculty as an academic and social-emotional specialist, assisting with coordinating and developing the health and wellness programs at Pingry. 

Dr. O’Rourke received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drew University and then attended Boston University, where she received her Master’s and Ph.D. in psychology. 

Before coming to Pingry, she worked at the Peck School in Morristown while also running her private psychology practice in Summit. Dr. O’Rourke also did consultations at schools and often taught at parent or teacher training workshops, where she was able to spread knowledge about how “wellness, the brain, and emotions work from a scientific perspective.”

Dr. O’Rourke also enjoys being a part of the federal emergency response team, where she works with first responders as a psychologist. She says that these experiences have greatly inspired her and that she is “glad to be working in a high school once again” with teens.

She has “loved being at Pingry so far” and is excited to meet more of the Pingry community. That ties into her goal, as she wants to “get to know as many members I can––especially being a new person to the community.”

In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and enjoys cheering on her two sons at their sports games. Over the past 15 years, Dr. O’Rourke’s family has also housed over 50 rescue dogs until their adoption. She likes to be active outdoors, through gardening or walking. On-campus, Dr. O’Rourke is looking forward to spending time out at the farm and exploring the Pingry wood trails, and encourages everyone to get outside, too!