October 11, 2020
Life Changing Self Care Tips for School Counselors
Self-care for school counselors is an important aspect of your routine as a helping professional. Holding yourself accountable is key to building the resiliency you need to care for others. Unfortunately, caring for yourself is often placed on the back burner because you might feel like there’s not enough time or energy, for self-care. You […]
Continue reading December 12, 2018
Time Savers for School Counselors
School counselors are pulled in lots of different directions. There is always a crisis on a Friday afternoon. How do you maximize your time with students and minimize time spent on less necessary tasks? Check out ways to create routines, prepare ahead of time, and stick to your schedule. Create Routines and Batch Tasks My […]
Continue reading December 10, 2018
What Self Care Activity Are You Doing Over Winter Break?
Winter break is a great time to recharge and do some purposeful self-care. Taking this time can help you shift your mindset for the second half of the year. Most of use have been putting off this necessary self-care and running on fumes. Read what Ashley and Brandy do, and share your favorites in the […]
Continue reading November 25, 2018
How Do You Practice Gratitude Within Your School Counseling Role?
Do you practice gratitude as a school counselor? Purposefully taking time to express thanks and appreciation for others as well as yourself can have a big impact. Check out what Gretchen and Rebecca do to practice gratitude. Recognize Others I like to write notes to staff members and parents when they have done something to […]
Continue reading August 29, 2018
How do you introduce the school counselor role?
When school counselors start the year, a lot of misconceptions can exist about their role. Our role has evolved greatly over time. Everyone has an idea of what the school counselor does, and it is so often wrong. Check out these tips for establishing clear communication about your role, changing expectations, and connecting with students […]
Continue reading February 2, 2018
How do you keep a healthy work-life balance?
We talk about self-care and work-life balance a lot on Confident Counselors, and for good reason. This is a tough job that comes with a lot of rewards. BUT if you aren’t thoughtful about caring for yourself, you not only won’t be able to effectively care for others, you will burn out. #realtalk. Three […]
Continue reading January 31, 2018
Handling Uncomfortable Conversations with Staff and Parents
I have a saying, “If it’s uncomfortable, give it to the counselor.” Any time that an awkward or uncomfortable conversation needs to take place with a parent, staff member, or volunteer, counselors are called to use our skills to smooth the way for those involved. Uncomfortable conversations include discussing parenting skills, classroom management, […]
Continue reading November 27, 2017
7 Simple Ways to Calm an Angry Parent and Improve Parent Communication
From time to time, you are going to have a conversation with an angry parent. No matter how hard you try and how much you give, there will eventually be somebody who gets upset for one reason or the other. Remembering some simple rules for dealing with angry parents can help you improve your parent […]
Continue reading October 11, 2017
- by Counselor Up
Positivity Works: Stepping Out of Negativity
In my third year of my school counseling career, a student asked me “What’s wrong with you Mrs. Atkins? You used to smile.” Wow, out of the mouths of babes, right? The daily grind of our work can start to grind down the positivity that brought us into this helping career in the first place. […]
Continue reading September 25, 2017
6 Surefire Ways to Say No to Non-Counseling Duties
As counselors, we are driven by nature to help, nurture, and solve problems. Therefore, most of us don’t like to say no to any request. This creates a problem because there are only so many hours in the day and we have more than enough counseling duties of our own to fill those hours. […]
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