PHS Counseling Team

Kait O'Brien

School Counselor: Class of 2029

Kait O'Brien serves as the Freshman School Counselor at Portsmouth High School. This is her fourth year at PHS and her fifth year working as a school counselor. Before assuming her current role, Kait worked as a Student Academic Services Counselor at Portsmouth High School and previously served as a school counselor at Farmington High School. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University, a Master of Science in Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University, and earned her School Counseling certification from Rivier University. A New Hampshire native, Kait enjoys spending quality time with her family. She and her partner, Nick, are proud parents of two children, Hadley and Georgie.

Sarah Maloney 

School Counselor: Class of 2028

Sarah Maloney is the School Counselor for the class of 2028. This is Sarah's sixth year at Portsmouth High School and 17th year as a counselor. Prior to PHS she worked as a counselor in Rye, Hampton, UNH and in community mental health.  Sarah has a Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling from University of New Hampshire, a Master’s of Arts Degree in Counseling from UNH and a CAGS in Leadership from the University of New England.  Sarah has spent her whole life and grown up on the Seacoast of New Hampshire and loves to spend time with her large extended family. Sarah loves the outdoors and spends her free time skiing, hiking, walking and any adventure around Lake Winnipesaukee. Sarah and her partner Mike have three children Maggie, Libby and Landon. They love watching them play sports, create music and just watching them have fun. 

Brittany Lind

College Counselor  

Originally from Weare, NH, Brittany earned her undergrad from Endicott in Sports Management, a Masters in School Counseling from Plymouth State, and her CAGS in Educational Leadership from the University of New England.  She has worked as a school counselor for nine years with the last seven being the College Counselor at Portsmouth High. The transition from school counselor to college counselor was the perfect fit. Brittany enjoys working with the juniors and seniors on future planning and helping them navigate the tedious college application process. She and her husband Chris, along with their daughters, Charlotte and Olivia and their 100lb lab/shepherd mix Ernie, enjoy exploring New England and spending time with their family and friends. 

Jennifer Tybursky

Futures Counselor

My name is Jennie Tybursky, and I am the new Futures Coordinator at PHS. As a former graduate of PHS, I am thrilled to be back and part of the community. I am really looking forward to working with students, and I am always here to help and answer questions. I previously worked at SNHU for six years as an academic advisor for online students and I'm excited to continue helping students work toward college. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family (mostly chasing around my 9 month old daughter, Fiona) and reading. 

Nicole Bellabona

CTE/Clipper Careers Coordinator

Nicole strongly believes in the power of applied learning, career readiness, and imbedding 21st Century skill attainment into the K-12 curriculum to most effectively prepare students for career and college pathways.  Her experience spans over the past 20 years in a variety of roles that include teaching, academic advising, facilitating work-based (WBL) and extended learning opportunities (ELO), and connecting with the employment community with a focus on STEM workforce development.  Nicole received her M.Ed. from UNH and Graduate Certification in Training and Development/Human Resources from SNHU.  Most recently, she was part of the Career Development Bureau team at the NH Department of Education helping to support Career and Technical Education statewide.