September 3, 2019
The School Counselor’s Role in Restorative Practices
Restorative practices are sweeping the education world and for very good reason. This approach to discipline focuses on repairing/restoring the hurt that has happened – instead of on punishing the wrong doing. I’m lucky to have worked in a school district that was an early adopter of some of these ideas. That doesn’t mean that […]
Continue reading July 31, 2019
8 Healthy Friendship Qualities to Teach Students
Cultivating healthy friendships amongst students is crucial for a positive learning environment. When students know the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors, they are able to modify their behavior. Encourage them to look inward as you review the qualities of a healthy friendship. Let’s take a look at 8 healthy friendship qualities that you can […]
Continue reading September 4, 2018
Creating 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 reading August 22, 2018
Cooperative Learning Activities in School Counseling Lessons
I’m always excited about new fun school counseling activities that don’t involve worksheets and this post is all about my favorites! When I’m planning for my school counseling lessons, there are five things I keep in mind: Name the objective, Skip the worksheet, Chunk it into segments, Include partner or group work, Incorporate movement. This sounds like a lot, […]
Continue reading May 23, 2018
How Centers Can Transform Your Classroom Guidance Lessons
I don’t know about you, but my counseling grad program didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on whole classroom instruction. I was ready for individual counseling. I was sooo ready for group counseling. But I was totally not ready to be standing in front of a group of 30 (a whole other issue…) students […]
Continue reading November 13, 2017
Self Control Strategies for the Classroom
As a school counselor, teachers frequently come to me for advice on classroom management. Almost always, they are looking for self control strategies for students struggling in their classrooms. They have students in their classes that are blurting out, having anger outbursts, or constantly getting out of their seats. I also have had these same […]
Continue reading November 1, 2017
- by Mental Fills
Strategies for Managing Negative Attention Seeking
STOP, DROP, ROLL and CONNECT I want to share a few helpful strategies I have found useful in managing negative attention seeking children. These are the children that push our buttons. They do what they can to sabotage yours or the group’s focus, and it’s frustrating. I am talking about the kids that whine, tattle tell, […]
Continue reading September 5, 2017
5 Classroom Management Strategies for School Counselors
Classroom management is challenging. It can be even more difficult to perfect when you only see the students once a week, at most. As school counselors, we often don’t have the time to implement intricate classroom management strategies when we are doing small groups or classroom guidance lessons. Here are some of my favorite tips […]
Continue reading July 31, 2017
Managing Disruptive Behavior Referrals
Managing behavior referrals often fall under the realm of school counseling. However, most school counseling programs have few, if any, behavior management components. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Confident Counselor authors are ready to share their best practices for managing behavior referrals. Heather will cover the details we need to know first when […]
Continue reading November 27, 2016
An Ounce of Prevention
School Counselors and Classroom Management Classroom management is a major aspect of effective teaching and learning. The type of classroom management that a teacher has will set their classroom tone and make or break student learning. The best kind of classroom management is preventative, where the classroom environment it set up so it is hard for […]
Continue reading