Counselor Accents

Latest Episodes:

School Counselor Kickstart Day 2: School Counseling Task Prioritization Tools Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

🎯 Feeling buried under a never-ending to-do list? You're not alone.

In today’s episode, we’re diving into game-changing tools that help school counselors manage the chaos, prioritize what matters most, and stay focused on the heart of the work—kids. 💛

Whether you're a sticky-note warrior or a digital planner pro, these tools will help you work smarter, not harder. ✏️📋⏳

👉 Tune in and find your new favorite system for conquering the chaos (without losing your cool).
#SchoolCounselingTools #PrioritizationStrategies #CounselorLife #TimeManagementForCounselors #SmartNotStressed

School Counselor Kickstart Day 1: School Counselors and Open House Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re talking about Open House—but not the old-school version where you hand out a few school counseling brochures and hope for the best. We’re reimagining this traditional event as a powerful opportunity to advocate for your role, build relationships, and set the tone for the year ahead.

You’ll hear fresh, creative ideas for how to make your presence known and your purpose clear, including ways to visually showcase your work, connect meaningfully with families, and explain the “why” behind what school counselors do.

PLUS—we’re sharing a link to a free, customizable magazine template you can use to introduce your program in a dynamic, modern way.

Whether you’re a new counselor or a seasoned pro, this episode will spark ideas that go way beyond the trifold flyer. It’s time to make this Open House your most impactful one yet!

A Conversation with Pennsylvania School Counselor, Steve Sharp – Redesigning Schools & Saving Lives Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

In this powerful and inspiring episode of the Counselor Accents Podcast, we welcome back our dear friend and brilliant colleague, Steve Sharp. Steve joins us to talk about his latest work, Redesigning Schools to Be Antiracist, where he introduces a practical framework for creating meaningful, lasting change in schools. From understanding why systems often resist change to learning how to disrupt the Oppression Cycle, Steve brings both depth and hope to the conversation about equity in education.

Just as we were recording, Steve got the exciting news that his brand-new book, Lives Worth Living: Applying Zero Suicide as a Prevention Approach for Schools, had officially launched—and we get a sneak peek! In typical Steve fashion, he blends heart, humor, and expertise while tackling some of the most critical issues facing schools today.

With an impressive résumé that includes serving on the ASCA Board of Directors, leading the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, being named PA Middle School Counselor of the Year, and becoming a bestselling author and consultant—you might expect Steve to have moved on from the day-to-day work of school counseling. But what we love most? He's still in the trenches, showing up for students every day and reminding us why our work matters.

Tune in for a conversation that will challenge, encourage, and equip you as a school counselor and change maker.

Our Recommended Reading List for School Counselors (Fiction Edition) Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

If you still have a few weeks of summer left, listen to this episode to find out our recommended reading list for school counselors (Fiction Edition). We each are sharing a few of our 5 star fictional book choices. We try to tell you why these books might appeal to you as a school counselor. Let us know if you've read any of these, or if you have a book to suggest!

Check out our post about these books here:

https://counseloraccents.com/recommended-reading-list-for-school-counselors/

Everyone Has a Story- When Friendship Turns Fatal: Skylar Neese and Relational Aggression Jun 01, 2025

Show notes

In this powerful and heart-wrenching episode, we speak with Dave Neese, the father of Skylar Neese—a bright, spirited teenager whose life was tragically cut short when she was brutally murdered by two girls she considered her best friends. Dave shares Skylar’s story with honesty, courage, and a deep commitment to preventing similar tragedies.

This episode is intended for school counselors, educators, youth advocates, parents, and anyone who works with adolescents. Together, we explore the warning signs of relational aggression, how toxic friendships can escalate, and what trusted adults can do to identify and intervene before it's too late.

Through Dave’s voice, we honor Skylar’s memory while shedding light on the hidden and often overlooked dynamics of adolescent relationships. This conversation is both a call to awareness and a guide for those working to create safer emotional environments for all students.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses violence, loss, and adolescent mental health.

School Counseling Coaching with Terrence and Eileen Houlihan May 27, 2025

Show notes

Terrence and Eileen Houlihan are a dose of what we all need right about now! They are knowledgeable and so much fun! In this episode they share a portion of the expertise they offer during their coaching or professional development sessions. Get ready for school counseling wisdom related to the developing student brain, as well as information we should be sharing with teachers, and even some tidbits for parents! This episode is one you will want to repeat in order to get all of the pearls of wisdom!

Check out Terrence and Eileen's website

Contact Terrence and Eileen

Youth Trafficking in Rural Areas and the Role of the School Counselor Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Youth sex trafficking is a growing problem in today’s world.

Often, individuals don’t understand what trafficking looks

like in the United States...especially in rural areas. In this episode Adria Palmer focuses on the signs of trafficking and what we, as educators, can do to educate our families and communities.

Adria is a high school counselor in Missouri and was the 2007 Outstanding Young Professional from the University

of Missouri-Columbia and the 2020 Secondary School Counselor of the Year in Northeast, Missouri.

To contact Adria email her at apalmer@rallsr2.k12.mo.us.

Your Burning Behavior Questions Answered! Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

You will definitely not want to miss this episode with our panel of behavior experts! They are answering the burning behavior questions that some of our Behavior Detour participants submitted. We guarantee you will nod your head as some of these questions are asked. So many of us are experiencing similar behaviors, no matter what age group or location you're in. This episode is full of rubber meets the road strategies you can implement immediately. Position yourself as a leader and listen and share this!

Level Up Your School Counseling Program with Nick Brummett Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

We're gonna be honest- this episode is a chaotic hot mess, but our guest is amazing and joins us to share the fantastic school counseling initiatives he has started in the state of Kansas. Nick Brummett is one of our new obsessions due to his rubber meets the road ideas and general school counseling prowess. Get ready to take notes! You'll want to join in or start some of these same things in your own school counseling program!

Using the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a Resource for School Counselors Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

If you're like us, you might have thought that The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children solely focused on helping locate missing children; however, the word "Exploited" actually covers a lot of the situations we as school counselors deal with on a daily basis.

In this episode Alejandra from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shares how this organization can support educators and the work we do daily.

⁠Join our Behavior Detour Conference!⁠