Keeping Individual School Counseling Short-Term
As a school counselor or other mental health provider in a school, you rarely have the resources to see students in individual counseling long-term. You also might not be trained to handle more chronic psychological disorders. This is why ASCA recommends that you only use individual school counseling short-term as a responsive service for acute […]
Continue readingCreating a Calm Corner In Your Counseling Office
If you have space, a calm corner is a great addition to your counseling office. It provides a safe place where students can practice calming strategies and improve self-regulation. You also get to provide more support and instruction than might be possible in a classroom.Make It CozyThe calm corner should be comfortable and soothing. Pillows, […]
Continue readingHow to Start Group Counseling Sessions
How you start group counseling sessions sets the tone for the next 20 to 40 minutes. You can spend that time getting everyone settled and waiting to start or you can use those 5 minutes with purpose. I have a couple different warm-up activities that I use. I vary these depending on the focus, the […]
Continue readingResponding to Escalating Behavior with a Coordinated Team Response
Every year, you have at least one student who shows escalating behavior. Your trusty list of de-escalation strategies is ineffective at stopping this disruptive behavior. The reason good strategies, like providing choice or consistently implementing consequences, don’t work 100% of the time is because they are being used regardless of the context of the situation. Providing […]
Continue reading10 Minute Kindness Activities for the Classroom and Counseling
Creating a positive school culture is such an important step in engaging students in learning. Consistent and frequent kindness activities help build empathy, let students feel comfortable taking risks and create an accepting class community. Research shows that when students view their teacher as caring and kind, they have better attendance, better grades, and […]
Continue readingMake Your Student Observations Comprehensive
As a school psychologist, student observations were regularly a part of my day. For special education evaluations, I observed students in multiple settings with multiple adults doing multiple tasks. I came to know that student in depth and felt ready to suggest supports that could make a difference. I soon realized that these student […]
Continue readingWhy You Should Be Using SMART Goals in Counseling
SMART goals are incredible tools that can help you measure student progress and structure plans for counseling sessions. SMART Goals also fundamentally changed my approach to counseling, by giving students agency and engagement in their own improvement. During my first five years as a school psychologist, my counseling sessions were full of social skills […]
Continue readingConfident Counselors is Turning One!
Say Happy Birthday to the Confident Counselors Newsletter! Almost a year ago Confident Counselors began. It started with me chattering on about how being the only person in your school doing your job is a uniquely challenging, to say the least. There is no one in my building to share resources with or ask […]
Continue reading5 Effective Ways to Support Families of Students with Autism
Finding ways to more effectively support families of students with autism was one of the biggest sources of growth for me as a professional. I watched everyday as parents worked to access needed services, fought against limitations other people imposed on their children, and simply tried to be a good parent to their child. Over time, I found these five ways to be simple […]
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