Every year there are students with challenging behaviors that disrupt, well, everything. Daily crises take over your schedule and they seem unresponsive to intervention plans. Teachers and staff are exhausted. The calls to "do something" (aka discipline) grow louder. I'm guessing if you landed on this post you are looking for more than another sticker chart or a pass straight to the office for disruptive behaviors. There are a couple essentials you should and may already have in place:  comprehensive classroom observations a data-informed behavior plan communication plan with parents an ..read more

Every year there are students with challenging behaviors that disrupt, well, everything. Daily crises take over your schedule and they seem unresponsive to intervention plans. Teachers and staff are exhausted. The calls to "do something" (aka discipline) grow louder. I'm guessing if you landed on this post you are looking for more than another sticker chart or a pass straight to the office for disruptive behaviors. There are a couple essentials you should and may already have in place:  comprehensive classroom observations a data-informed behavior plan communication plan with parents a ..read more

Internship is where it all begins in our journey as school counselors. Along with the start of a new internship comes a whirlwind of emotions, anticipation, and excitement for both supervisors and interns. In a “typical” school year, this first major step to becoming a school counselor can put a lot of pressure on both parties. But how have COVID-19 and virtual learning changed the school counseling internship experience? In this post, I share my best tips, tricks, and ideas to set the internship experience and relationship up for success. I also interview current interns and supervisors who a ..read more

COVID-19 has turned the world of education upside down. School counseling internships have looked very different in 2020 and 2021. There is no better way to understand the impact of COVID-19 on internship than to go straight to the source. Two school counseling interns and two school counseling supervisors were kind enough to talk with me about their experiences managing internship in a pandemic world. An Interview with Current School Counseling Interns, Jennifer and Ashleigh Jennifer is a middle school intern from Wisconsin and Ashleigh is an elementary school intern from Virginia. 1) What se ..read more

A couple of years ago, during a lesson, one of my students said, “not to be racist, but she was white.” It wasn’t the first time a student had mistakenly thought that naming race was being racist, but it was still one of the bigger wake ups I had about the need to talk more directly to my students about identity, diversity, and social justice. And it wasn’t just about ensuring my students had the understanding and language to discuss these very real issues. Social justice lessons with elementary students are also about developing empathy, perspective-taking, and bullying prevention. The idea o ..read more

Coming back to school after winter break can be difficult. The 2020 school year will be no different with its plethora of unique circumstances. Students and families across the country will be returning to school and will need time to adjust to the upcoming semester like never before.  No matter if you are returning face-to-face, virtually, or a combination of both, there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success. Check out the eight tips below to find success as you embrace returning to school after winter break. Choose Your Mindset We know that returning to school after ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to counselors searching for free games and tools for virtual counseling sessions. Although the pandemic has led to many challenges, one positive aspect is that counselors have been expanding their skillsets as they learn to navigate the virtual counseling world. Whether you are a school counselor meeting with children through distance learning or a clinical counselor who is navigating TeleHealth, there is a wide range of free games and tools for virtual counseling. Why Use Games and Tools in Virtual Counseling? Providing virtual counseling services can be as simpl ..read more

Working with students with anxiety in the school setting really requires a team effort! Caregivers and school personnel need to be on the same page to encourage similar strategies, recognize triggers, and use common language to support the student. Find 3 great ways to offer parent support for students with anxiety below! Parent Support for Students with Anxiety 1 – Caregiver Education Caregiver education on a variety of topics cannot only help caregivers better understand what’s going on with their child, but it creates a great opportunity for mutual learning. Whether it’s a 1:1 conference or ..read more

How do you address College and Career Readiness in a pandemic? It is definitely a challenge. November is National Career Development Month, which is the perfect time to offer school counseling resources that address future planning. Though it may look different, we can provide students the necessary tools to be prepared for the future. Here are three components that give students what they need to be college and career ready during a pandemic. Connectedness during a Pandemic Whether in person, all virtual, or a combination of these, students need to feel connected with their counselors for co ..read more

Resilience is one of my favorite topics to teach and one of my favorite small groups to run. I always include goal setting, identifying problems, coping skills, healthy habits, and positive relationships as components to being resilient. Here are 6 tools for teaching resilience that help bring those components and your resiliency lessons to life. 1. Challenging Games Games, like stacking, wobble, and balance games, require students to be mindful and patient. When they fall, they also provide a great visual for the concept of resilience. I also love games that take problem-solving skills, such ..read more