ASCA National Model – American School Counselor Association

Latest Episodes:

The School Counselor’s Role in Community Engagement Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

Learn how school counselors can expand their school counseling programs, help connect students and families with external resources, improve parental engagement and increase support for school staff all through collaboration with community partners. Hear how the 2018 School Counselor of the Year established partnerships throughout her school to support the academic, social/emotional learning and college- and career-readiness needs of her students and families. Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Explain the school counselors’ role in developing community engagement opportunities for students and families.
Identify ways to utilize community partners to strengthen your school counseling programs.
Explain how school counselors help school communities, students, staff and families connect to internal and external resources or supports.

Speaker:
Kirsten Perry has been a school counselor for the Chicago Public Schools for six years. She serves on several committees including the Naviance advisory team and the GoCPS advisory team and she also serves as a master counselor. Most recently, she was named the 2018 National School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association.

Original air date: Mar. 29, 2018

G.L.O.W.: Girls Learning to be Outstanding Women Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

Girls face a number of complex issues affecting their successful transition into adulthood, some of which include self-esteem, body image, relational aggression and forming healthy relationships. Hear how one 2018 ASCA School Counselor of the Year finalist addressed these issues for her middle school girls through the creation of a girls’ group, GLOW: Girls Learning to Be Outstanding Women. Focus on the value of helping girls develop SEL skills in a safe and supportive environment, and walk away with concrete ideas and resources you can use to implement a similar program in your school. Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:

After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Discuss research related to issues girls face
Identify strategies, resources and potential roadblocks for implementation of a girls group at your school

Speaker:
Crystal Brewer is the school counselor at Simpson Central School, a K-8 school in Pinola, Miss. She has been a school counselor for 17 years and has served as president of the Mississippi School Counselor Association and as a RAMP reviewer. She was selected as a 2018 School Counselor of the Year finalist and has presented at local, state and national conferences. Simpson Central was named one of the first RAMP Schools of Distinction in 2016.

Original air date: Mar. 27, 2018

ASCA Mindsets-Based Mini Lessons Mar 26, 2018

Show notes

ASCA Mindsets-based mini lessons are designed to strengthen your comprehensive school counseling program with high-impact strategies, presented in multiple modalities, requiring minimum use of your time. Walk away with activities you can use to inspire students to improve soft skills, have a positive attitude and believe in their own abilities. Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:
After viewing this webinar, you should be able to:

Create a schoolwide vocabulary to hold students accountable and raise the bar.
Explain how a few moments of repeated dedication to a specific skill or strategy can be incorporated into their program.
Explain how presenting lessons using multiple learning modalities can enhance student’s knowledge, attitudes and skills.

Speaker:
Deborah Blume has been an educator for more than twenty years, working as a Special Education Teacher, Learning Specialist, Behavior Specialist and School Counselor. She received her BS and MA from New Mexico State University. She holds South Carolina certification in Early Childhood, Elementary, Cross Categorical Special Education (K-12) and Guidance.

Original air date: Dec. 15, 2017

Refining Your Advocacy Rhetoric Mar 23, 2018

Show notes

In advocating for a school counseling program the focus needs to be appropriate for the intended audience. How do you change your focus? Hear from one School Counselor of the Year finalist about different ways you can inspire change through program advocacy. Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Identify ways to improve program advocacy
Tailor advocacy to specific stakeholders
Use data to support a comprehensive program

Speaker:
Geoff Heckman is a school counselor at Platte County High School, Platte City, MO. He is currently serving as the President of the Missouri School Counselor Association and has been a school counselor for 14 years. Most recently, Heckman was named a 2018 School Counselor of the Year finalist.

Original air date: Mar. 22, 2018

Technology Toolbox for School Counselors Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

School counselors are facing an increasing number of responsibilities, and technology can help streamline your practice and fulfill your professional responsibilities more efficiently. Learn how free, fun and easy-to-use technology tools can help you achieve your professional goals. Focus on free, simple and fun online tools to connect with other school counselors and grow your toolbox of skills. Download accompanying handouts.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Recognize the value of using technology to enhance your school counseling practice
Expand your technology toolkit
Demonstrate to students how technology can solve problems, and encourage students to utilize computer science to create new technologies to solve every day problems themselves

Speakers:

Angela Cleveland consults for NCWIT’s Counselors for Computing division and has 15 years’ experience as a school counselor,. She is a Google-Certified Educator, an executive board member and webmaster for the New Jersey School Counselor Association.

Jane Krauss is a curriculum and program development consultant for NCWIT. She guides the Counselors for Computing program, as well as the development of Programs-in-a-Box and other turnkey resources. Krauss has co-authored two books on the topic of project-based learning and consults with K-12 organizations in support of curriculum reform.

Stephen Sharp is a school counselor and Apple-Certified Educator. He frequently presents on technology, emerging career skills, mental health and race in education.

Dana Wile is a high school counselor and board member of the Lancaster County School Counselors Association. Wiles uses technology to streamline program planning; for example planning the county Leadership Summit: Dialogues on Racism and building support plans for students.

Original air date: Mar. 14, 2018

Norman Gysbers: History of School Counseling Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

Over the past 100-plus years, school counseling has evolved from a focus on vocational guidance delivered by teachers to the comprehensive school counseling programs we have today. This video, by Norman C. Gysbers, Ph.D., the father of modern school counseling, traces the development of school counseling from its beginnings in the early 1900s to the present time.

TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More Mar 02, 2018

Show notes

Learn how a principal and school counselor teamed up to achieve RAMP status. Break down the process of how you too can begin your journey in creating a comprehensive school counseling program. Hear how our journey to RAMP began starting with completing the annual agreement, forming an advisory council and developing program goals. See how partnering to take on schoolwide initiatives can benefit your school community and RAMP up your program. Download accompanying handouts.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Discuss the value of developing a collaborative partnership with the principal while completing the annual agreement.
Explain how to engage stakeholders in growing your school counseling program through the advisory council.
Assess your school counseling program as you assess needs and develop program goals.
Explain how your program goals and closing-the-gap plan can support your school improvement plan.

Presenters:

Barb Micucci has been a school counselor for 31 years and the school counselor at Caley Elementary School in King of Prussia, Pa., for the past 19 years. She has served on the board of professional organizations at the local, state and national level and presented at conferences. She was the 2010 ASCA School Counselor of the Year and her school received RAMP recognition in 2017. She is currently an ASCA RAMP reviewer.

Steve Van Mater has been a school administrator for the past nine years and the principal at Caley Elementary School in King of Prussia, Pa., for the pastfive years. He has had the opportunity to present with Micucci at the Pennsylvania School Counselor Association conference on three occasions and will be presenting at the 2018 ASCA conference. Caley Elementary School earned RAMP designation in 2017.

Original air date: Feb. 28, 2018

How School Professionals Can Support Healthy Relationships Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

Navigating relationships is a complicated and essential part of adolescence. What do adult allies need to know to help young people build a foundation of healthy relationship skills? How can you work with students and colleagues to create a positive school environment that is trauma-informed and upstander-ready?

Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar, you should be able to:

Identify healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors in young adolescents
Help young people navigate online and offline relationships with peers
Utilize everyday gestures that promote trauma-informed relationships with students

Presenters
Lisa Sohn is a program director with the Health Team. Sohn manages national partner relationships with communities, organizations and associations in localizing Changing Minds Campaign materials, tools and resources for their specific audiences. Her work focuses on assisting communities and schools in developing leadership, education and staff training around improving school culture and climate through trauma-informed systems and responses.

Eleanor Davis develops national violence prevention campaigns and programs for a variety of audiences including youth, men and boys, health care providers and educators at Futures Without Violence. Her work centers on engaging teens around issues of consent, health and abuse and involves developing digital tools that prevent teen dating abuse and promote healthy relationship skills.

Marijuana & Students: Trends, Myths & Change Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

As more states pass legislation legalizing and/or decriminalizing marijuana, the perception of harm is decreasing. Students may have confusion and misunderstanding about marijuana usage. Learn how to confront the challenges associated with the changing dynamics created by legalized marijuana, both medicinal and recreational. Download accompanying handout.

Learning objectives:
After attending this webinar you should be able to:

Discuss marijuana trends as they pertain to youth use.
Explain the modalities and methods of youth marijuana consumption.
Discuss the impact of marijuana on learning and the developing brain.

Speaker:
Molly Lotz is currently a school counselor at Yampa Valley High School in Steamboat Springs, Col. After her students began asking for support in their attempts to become less dependent on marijuana, Lotz created a curriculum to help youth do just that. In 2015, she and her team created the Marijuana Education Initiative out of a passion for providing unbiased information to youth who want to know and understand the effects marijuana has on their lives.

Original air date: Oct. 31, 2017

Supporting Students After Crisis and Loss Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

The majority of children experience the death of a loved one or friend before they graduate from high school. Other crisis events such as disasters, school violence and family stressors also routinely touch students’ lives. Understanding how crisis and loss can affect academic success and students’ behaviors and effectively responding to students’ reactions are essential skills to helping students successfully cope with these challenges. School counselors can serve as an invaluable resource for school personnel as well as families as they strive to make a difference in students’ lives after a crisis or loss.

Learning objectives:

After viewing this webinar you should be able to:

List at least three reactions from students after a crisis or loss that can affect school success.
List at least three ideas to provide teachers as they support children after a crisis or loss.
Discuss at least two intervention strategies school counselors can implement with students after a crisis or loss.
List two ways to improve self-care to reduce risk of compassion fatigue.

Original air date: Sept. 7, 2011

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