School Counseling Simplified Podcast

Latest Episodes:

200. Executive Functioning Strategies for School Counselors with Sarah Lovell Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode I am chatting with Executive Function and ADHD coach Sarah Lovell about practical strategies school counselors can use to improve their own executive functioning skills and help students.

Sarah Lovell (she/her) is an executive function & ADHD coach for ambitious professionals, college students, creatives, and perfectionists. With a background as a Master's level social worker, Sarah believes self-care & self-talk are the foundation of everything we do (including executive functioning!).

She's spent 10 years helping clients overcome procrastination, burnout, time blindness, and overwhelm. She loves helping clients notice their self-talk, shift their mindset, and build a toolbox of realistic strategies through 1:1 coaching and her membership, The Stuck to Started Society.

When Sarah isn't working, she's taking her rescue pitbull Georgia on a trail hike, paddle boarding, or snuggling up with a good book. Some highlights from this episode are:

The importance of addressing negative self-talk around executive functioning challenges.
Using an organized external system to manage tasks and thoughts to avoid mental overload.
Distinguishing between procrastination and being "stuck" when facing tasks.
Separating planning from taking action to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Time management strategies that will be covered in Sarah's Summer Summit session, including intuitive scheduling and prioritizing questions.

Tune in and let me know what you think!

Resources mentioned:

IMPACT Summer Summit
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

Connect with Sarah:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

199. Supporting Students in a Crisis with Joyce Harduvel Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

In Today's episode I am welcoming back Joyce Harduvel, (who will also be at this year's IMPACT Summer Summit), to give her insight on supporting students in Crisis.

Joyce is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified school social work specialist. After seven years in the field of school social work working with students from preschool to high school, she is pivoting to provide school-based clinicians with the resources, community, and training that they need to support their students. Recognizing that most of what she used on a daily basis as a school social worker she had to learn through experience and create herself, Joyce is committed to sharing her expertise to make the lives of school-based clinicians easier so that they can focus on the important part: the students!

Listen In for some of these highlights!:

The importance of acknowledging how schools can contribute to student trauma through both major incidents and more subtle interactions.
Recommendations for establishing crisis response protocols and teams to avoid one counselor being overwhelmed.
Examples of concrete tools like flowcharts counselors can use to map out contingency plans for different crisis situations.
A Preview of Joyce's IMPACT Summer Summit session covering her "secret sauce" for comprehensive crisis response strategies.
Joyce's venture back into school and her plans to focus on special education law to better advocate for students' rights.

It's truly a do not miss! Listen in now!

Resources mentioned:

IMPACT Summer Summit
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

Connect with Joyce:

http://www.joyce-lcsw.com/

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

198. Rock the interview with this advice! May 28, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, I'm covering all things counselor interviews. Remember when you were interviewing for counseling positions or maybe you're interviewing right now? I know that it was an emotional roller coaster preparing, interviewing and dealing with rejection. It took me quite a few interviews before landing my dream job. That's why I love to talk about this! AND I decided to tag in some help! Thank you to everyone who submitted their advice!

Listen in to hear us eloborate on these pieces of advice:

Research the school - Look up demographics, mission, goals and relate how you can contribute.
Don't sell yourself short - Be confident in your skills and experiences.
Embrace your individuality - Admin want to see your genuine personality and fit with school culture.
Prioritize students - Give examples of how you make students a top priority.
Thank you notes - Writing thank you notes that stand out and are appreciated by interviewers.

Seriously, this is a DO NOT MISS!

Resources mentioned:

Coffee with the Counselor
Stress Free School Counselor Bootcamp
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

197. Supporting Parents Using an SEL Summer Toolkit May 21, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode, I am sharing all my strategies to help school counselors to tie up loose ends at the end of the school year and support students' mental health over the summer months. Some Highlights:

Implementing Termination strategies for school counseling groups
Creating an End-of-year report and data wall for advocating counselor role
Getting summer support plans in place with community resources
How to make Summer SEL toolkits for parents to support students
Some fun ideas for summer SEL toolkit with activities for families

Resources mentioned:

https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee
Summer SEL Toolkit
https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/bootcamp
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

196. Interview Dos and Don'ts with Lauren Tingle May 14, 2024

Show notes

In Today's episode I chat with Lauren Tingle. We are diving into all things school counselor interviews. The do's don'ts, interview preparation and our experiences, we will be sharing advice and tips for common scenarios we have seen!

Lauren is a former high school counselor turned content creator and curriculum writer. She is the high school counseling hype girl behind Counselor Clique helping other high school counselors energize and breathe life into their programs through creative and engaging counseling resources. She's also the host of the podcast "High School Counseling Conversations" and also runs a membership for high school counselors called the Clique Collaborative where she brings value and fun into high school counseling.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

Creating summer SEL toolkits for busy school counselors.
Returning to work after maternity leave in the school counseling field.
How to approach job interviews and bring enthusiasm to a new role.
Job interviews, storytelling, and overcoming insecurities.
Selling one's unique experiences and skills as a school counselor candidate.

Resources mentioned:

https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/bootcamp
Create a Summer SEL Toolkit - Thrive Instead of Survive at the End of the Year
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

Connect with Lauren:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

195. A day in the life of school counselor and author Malisa Hepner May 07, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode I chat with Malisa Hepner, an elementary school counselor and published children's book author. She discusses her background and strategies for building relationships with students and staff. She also shares tips for wrapping up the school year. Here are some things we covered:

How Malisa supports students and staff through intentional relationship-building and acts of kindness to boost morale.
Malisa emphasizes the importance of proactive tier 1 instruction and teaching common SEL skills to teachers.
Advocating for her role while maintaining boundaries and providing summer crisis resources for students.
New counselor advice to build relationships and focus on serving students effectively.
Malisa's self-published children's books related to her counseling lessons on topics like bullying prevention. Listen in to hear it all!

Resources mentioned:

https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/bootcamp
Create a Summer SEL Toolkit - Thrive Instead of Survive at the End of the Year
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

194. Approaching Anxiety with a Collaborative and Trauma-Informed Lens with Courtney Bennett Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode we discuss anxiety strategies for school counselors with expert Courtney Bennett.

Courtney is a passionate school counselor and mom of three. She loves to learn, so you will most often find her with a book in hand. She has spent the last several years studying about anxiety, trauma, and executive functioning and enjoys the challenge of putting this expertise to the test with real kids.. Courtney shares personal experience with anxiety and strategies for managing it with students. Strategies include externalizing worries, naming emotions, and reframing mindsets about stress. Listen in for more highlights including:

Externalizing techniques to help students distance from overwhelming feelings
Educating the whole school community using consistent language and care plans
Teaching positive mindset interventions about stress responses
Considering bottom-up or top-down anxiety interventions for each student
Learning clinical approaches to anxiety from experts like Lynn Lyons
Resources mentioned:
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
Connect with Rachel:
TpT Store
Blog
Instagram
Facebook Page
Facebook Group
Pinterest
Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

193. Exploring expressive arts therapy and the importance of tier one interventions with Casey O'Brien Martin Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

On today's episode, we explored a variety of strategies for managing student anxiety with special guest Casey O'Brien Martin. Casey shared her wealth of experience working as both an art therapist and school counselor.

Casey O'Brien Martin is a Mom of two boys and a mini schnuazer named Hurley. She is the author of the book Skills for Big Feelings: A Guide for Teaching Kids Relaxation, Regulation, and Coping Techniques. She works as a school adjustment counselor in Massachusetts and runs Whole Child Counseling. She is also a licensed mental health counselor, a registered nurse, and a registered expressive arts therapist.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

Origami box activity helps MS students express themselves
Teaching all students coping skills through universal prevention strategies
Addressing anxiety and avoidance behaviors in students
Casey's Book "Skills for Big Feelings" offers 12-week curriculum for coping techniques
Somatic techniques like "shake, wiggle, shake" to help kids manage anxiety

Resources mentioned:

https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT_6Lvkhxvo
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

192. Using Mindfulness As An Anxiety AND Executive Functioning Strategy Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of School Counseling Simplified, your host, Rachel, shares powerful mindfulness strategies for managing student anxiety and executive functioning. Here are some highlights:

Mindfulness activates the prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex, areas of the brain linked to attention, executive functions, and learning.
A study found students who practiced mindfulness improved their executive functioning skills like behavioral regulation.
Rachel demonstrated mindful breathing exercises like dragon breath and flower breath for elementary students.
Guided meditations can help students become aware of sounds in mindfulness session two.
Increasing sensory awareness through 5-4-3-2-1 grounding

Listen In to hear more!

Resources mentioned:

https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee
Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!
If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

More About School Counseling Simplified:

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

191. Setting Boundaries, Therapy Dogs, and More Ways to Beat Anxiety with Laura Filtness Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

In today's episode, I chat with Laura Filtness about anxiety strategies. Laura talks through the importance of setting professional boundaries and using therapy dogs in counseling programs. We discuss practical applications for managing anxiety in students and school counselors, including mindful moments, expanding the window of tolerance, and using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. Laura also shares her passion for using picture books in counseling and her involvement in mentoring new counselors.

Laura is a school counselor with more than 15 years of experience. In 2017, she was honored with the title of Elementary Tennessee School Counselor of the Year. Her passion is to foster empathy among children through the use of picture books. Her therapy dog, Boss, has inspired her to continue his legacy and promote empathy through picture books.

Some Highlights:

Monthly counselor community circles and calls for sharing wins, troubleshooting tough cases, and discussing counselor experiences.
Laura's expertise in using picture books in counseling programs, including her upcoming presentation at ASCO on the topic.
Strategies for managing anxiety, including setting professional boundaries, using therapy dogs, and practicing mindfulness.
Practical applications for supporting students with anxiety, such as identifying physical signs of stress, expanding the window of tolerance, and using CBT techniques.
Laura's passion for mentoring new counselors and helping them navigate challenges such as paperwork, time management, organization, and setting boundaries.

Resources mentioned: