January 3, 2021
Free Games and Tools for Virtual Counseling
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 […]
Continue reading April 29, 2019
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 reading April 22, 2019
Building Positive Thinking In Students
Positive thinking can be the difference between a student persisting with a challenging activity and stopping too soon. As counselors, we can directly work on building a student’s positive thinking, and give them the skills to be resilient when faced with challenges.Identify & Replace Negative ThinkingI focus on two things when building a student’s positive […]
Continue reading March 10, 2019
Teaching Expected and Unexpected Behaviors
Although our work as school counselors can be very rewarding, it can also be frustrating! One of the things I have always found most frustrating is working with children who don’t seem to care at all about how their behavior affects others. They just don’t seem to realize that their behavior can have such a […]
Continue reading October 29, 2018
5 Creative School Counseling Activities Using Candy
Halloween is coming! Which at my house means there is a lot of excess candy lying around that I can’t (shouldn’t) eat all by myself. If only I had access to a school full of kids who would love to help me eat it … Oh, wait. I do. While I don’t usually love pumping […]
Continue reading March 21, 2018
Pillboxes: Creative Ideas for School Counseling
Target’s Bullseye’s Playground (did you know that’s the real name for what we all call the “dollar spot”??) is great, but I’ve also been loving some finds at the dollar store. On one of my recent trips, my eye was drawn to the pillboxes. I had no plan in mind but just knew I could think of […]
Continue reading March 19, 2018
5 Ways to Reframe Negative Thoughts
Empower students to escape negative thinking traps by guiding them to reframe negative thoughts. Once students identify these cognitive distortions, real change can begin. These thoughts hold them back and keep them from their full potential. In cognitive behavioral therapy, there are dozens of thinking errors that cause the mind to believe things that are […]
Continue reading November 20, 2017
Tales, Fibs, and Lies: Working with Students Who Lie
Tall tales, little fibs, or flat out lies: how do you work with students who stretch the truth? While some adults might be inclined to tackle lying head on with confrontation, confident counselors know these situations may require more delicate footing. Let’s take a look at a few things to consider when faced with lying […]
Continue reading November 3, 2017
Conversations: Confidentiality in School Counseling
What do you share with parents, teachers or your administration about a student’s progress or participation in school counseling services? Is your confidentiality policy considerate of student trust as well as student growth? All or Nothing Confidentiality Policies Limit Progress Confidentiality is there to build trust and rapport while working towards goals. Students, elementary […]
Continue reading October 2, 2017
Make 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 […]
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