Wellness & Learning Support
Elizabeth Heuser, LMFT, Wellness Lead & Middle School Counselor
Elizabeth joined PKS in 2022 after a more than decade of working as a wellness counselor and director in Bay Area schools, including Archbishop Riordon, The Marin School, and New Traditions. She has a deep knowledge of the developmental needs of children and how schools and families can connect to help kids develop into healthy, confident, engaged young people. She loves the opportunity to connect through play and learning with children of all ages at PKS!
Elizabeth is a San Francisco native who went East for college to Bowdoin studying French and Art, spent a year in the Hong Kong fashion world, worked in the arts at Christie’s Auction House, and taught kids to ski in Tahoe before getting a Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. While in school, she worked in Asia/Oceania regional grant making at the Global Fund for Women. She earned her clinical hours toward becoming a licensed MFT in both private practice and school counseling at SFUSD's Student Intervention Team and Mercy High School, also supporting the school's international student population. She believes that when students of all ages understand their minds and bodies they can contribute to both their own wellbeing and that of their whole community. When she’s not at PKS, you can find Elizabeth snapping photos of Bay Area trails and beaches, catching live music, skiing, or visiting her nephews in Connecticut and Colorado.
Missy Silver, Grade K-4 Educational Therapist
Missy Silver has always been passionate about and invested in child development, learning and education. After receiving a BS in Human Development and Family Science from Oregon State University, she obtained a MA in Special Education from San Francisco State. In 2015 she completed the Educational Therapy certification program at University of California, Riverside. Missy is certified in Orton-Gillingham’s Reading program, David Berg’s Making Math Real and has received extensive training in Structured Word Inquiry. Missy provides 1:1 and small group learning support (reading, writing, math, executive function skills) to students in K-4 using multi-sensory methodologies; teaches an executive function skills class to students in 5th grade; and presents workshops and trainings for PKS parents and teachers on neurodiversity, accommodations, management of study skills, executive functioning, ADHD and dyslexia.
Kayla Story, LMFT, Elementary Counselor
Kayla joined PKS in 2024 as our first Elementary Counselor. Along with teaching social emotional learning skills in each classroom biweekly, Kayla provides parent consultation, faculty support, 1:1 check-ins, and small group facilitation as needed for students. She uses her training in Marriage and Family therapy to approach each relationship with a strength-based approach. She earned her BA at Baylor University and MA at Touro University Worldwide.
Haiyang Yu | 于海洋, Early Childhood Development Specialist
Haiyang leads preschool teachers in building inclusive classrooms, promoting social emotional learning, and supporting integration strategies for success in the early learning years. She also leads small weekly social groups to practice targeted social skills, observes daily classroom activities, identifies opportunities in the classroom to foster a welcoming learning environment, and facilitates ongoing parent-teacher check-in meetings to promote transparent communication.
Prior to joining PKS, Haiyang was an early childhood education specialist in the San Francisco Unified School District for a decade, providing training for teachers, advocating for families, and implementing strategies to provide an inclusive environment supporting diverse learners.
Born and raised in Harbin, China, Haiyang received her BA in Educational English from Harbin Normal University and Chinese Teacher Qualification Certification from the Chinese Ministry of Education. In 2012, she was one of three students from China selected by the US State Department for the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, which provides outstanding undergraduate students from around the world with a one-year scholarship for non-degree full-time study in the US, combined with community service, professional development, and cultural enrichment. She went on to earn an MA in Special Education from San Francisco State University, and is credentialed as an Education Specialist in Early Childhood from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Haiyang is a named researcher in “Bilingualism as Conceptualized and Bilingualism as Lived: A Critical Examination of the Monolingual Socialization of a Child with Autism in a Bilingual Family,” published by the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2015.