Does your school have a peer helping group? If not, there are countless reasons to start one! Establishing a trained team of peer helpers benefits students, staff, and the overall school climate in meaningful ways. In fact, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recognizes peer helping as a valuable extension of the school counseling office. With such strong support, why not explore the power of students helping students? Here’s why every school should consider implementing a peer-helping program:? 1. Enhances Student Support & Mental Well-being Many students feel more ..read more

It’s a rainy day, and I’m in the middle of packing for a move to a new town a couple of hours north. After what feels like an eternity of boxing up belongings, I decide to take a break and check my emails. As I scroll through, I stumble upon an article from 2021 by Dr. Patrick O’Connor titled Transcript Frustration? Tell the Colleges. Reading it brings a chuckle—because every year, like clockwork, transcript issues create waves of frustration for students, parents, and yes, school counselors. Each fall and spring, without fail, a concerned parent calls the principal, upset that their child’s ..read more

Happy New Year's Eve, School Counselors! Can you believe it is the end of the year!!  As we step into 2025 (yikes), my custom has been to reflect on the past year and share the top 10 blog posts that resonated with readers. While I haven’t been able to write and share as much as I’d like this year,  it’s always exciting to see what topics school counselors find most helpful and engaging. Over the past 12 years (wow, time flies!), some of these posts have consistently remained favorites, while others are new additions to the list. Here’s a countdown of the most-read posts from 2024 ..read more

Reposted from 2013 When my kids were younger we would watch the Top 100 Scariest Movie Moments (now, we watch Halloween Baking Championship instead). We laughed at some of the older movies with their low-budget effects—The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes which never fails to crack us up! But there are also moments when we cover our eyes, like when The Exorcist comes on and things get truly terrifying. Inspired by the spooky season, I decided to share my own collection of scariest moments—not from horror films, but from my life as a school counselor.  Disclaimer: These are my real-life ex ..read more

In 2005, the Association for Conflict Resolution created a special day to promote conflict resolution in organizations. Conflict Resolution Day occurs on the third Thursday of October and its purpose is to: promote peaceful means to settle conflicts. encourage the use of conflict resolution in schools, businesses, organizations, and communities. recognize the contributions of conflict resolvers. Conflict Resolution Day is a great way to promote your school's conflict resolution program to students, staff, and the community.  If you have a peer mediation program, c ..read more

Have you ever been out and about—maybe on a trip or just running errands—when your "counselor senses" suddenly start tingling? It’s that feeling in your gut telling you something isn’t quite right. This has happened to me more times than I can count. Often, by the time I realize I might be on to something, the moment has passed, and I’m left wondering why I didn’t catch on sooner. And if I had, what could, or should I have done? As educators and mandated reporters, we've all had those moments where we feel helpless—when we suspect something’s wrong but aren’t sure what. It’s tough to know yo ..read more

Good grief!  I can't believe that I been away from my blog for four months.  A lot has been going on both personally and professionally (that is a discussion for another day), but I wanted to touch base with you amazing school counselors as we end the first half of 2024 (how did that happen?).  If you work in a school, I hope you had a good, or at least tolerable year.  On side note, I ended my final workday as an independent school counselor this past week and I am looking at trying something different next year (it's a little scary!). So, as we get closer to the 4th of ..read more

Are you a high school counselor coordinating a peer mediation program?  Running a peer mediation program has been a joy for me and these students make a difference in our school.  However, I find that my students' skills are often underappreciated.  In 2008, I joined the Association for Conflict Resolution and met some really fantastic conflict resolution trainers and specialists who turned me on to the idea of peer mediation tournaments.  Since 2008, I have had the privilege of judging many college tournaments and coaching students in tournaments. Now, I am coordinating ..read more

Happy New Year, School Counselors!   At the end of each year, I like to share the top 10 blog posts that people are reading from this blog.  Although I have not been able to write and share like I would like to each month, I love looking at what school counselors are interested in reading.  Over the last 11 years (yikes!), many of the posts have remained the same, but there were a couple of new posts that made it to the top 10.  I hope you will enjoy going back and checking these out!  10 Duty to Warn: When Does It Apply When Informing Parents About Teenag ..read more

Want to learn more about trauma informed practices and how to practically employ them in your school? Join me and Nichol Webb for our December #scchat on X regarding Trauma Informed Practices as School Counselors.   If this is your first time joining X for a chat, make sure read below to see how you can join in on the fun ..read more