School Counseling Simplified Podcast

Latest Episodes:

190. CBT Anxiety Strategies with Jessica Leinen Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

Anxiety remains our focus this week as we have gotten such an overwhleming response and need to continue to cover this topic. Today, Jessica, from Counseling Adventures, joins the conversation to share valuable insights and practical strategies for addressing anxiety among students. Drawing from her 10 years of experience, Jessica offers tips for parents, teachers, and fellow counselors, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing different types of anxiety in the school setting. Gain a deeper understanding of common anxiety triggers among middle schoolers and learn effective techniques, including cognitive-behavioral approaches and relaxation exercises, to support students in coping with their emotions.

Tune in to discover actionable steps for creating a supportive environment for students dealing with anxiety.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

Strategies for teaching anxiety to students
Understanding how anxiety shows up for individual students
Practical techniques for addressing anxiety in middle school students
Preventive measures for anxiety, including emotional identification and coping skills
Advice for new school counselors, emphasizing self-care and experimentation with new approaches

Resources mentioned:

Check out Jessica https://counselingadventures.com/
Middle school resources https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Counselingadventures
Save your spot for this month's Coffee with the Counselor: 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:

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!

189: Anxiety Roundup: How to Support Anxious Students with Ashley Bartley Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

Separation anxiety has always impacted kids but it seems to be much more prevalent in the past few years since the pandemic. We see it in students crying as they are exiting their cars in the morning, refusing to come to school, and feeling sick in the nurse's office. We all want to help these students cope with this anxiety as best as possible so Ashley Bartley is joining us to share practical tips and strategies to help our students who struggle with separation anxiety.

Ashley Bartley, M.Ed., NCC, is a school counselor, author, and curriculum writer. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia and her M.Ed. in School Counseling from the College of William & Mary. She has five social emotional learning children's books published with Boys Town Press and is the creator of Counselor Station, where she develops curriculum and resources for busy school counselors. Ashley lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and three young boys. She enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling.

Ashley has so much knowledge when it comes to helping students with separation anxiety. In this episode, Ashley shares signs that a student is experiencing separation anxiety, some strategies she has found helpful when working with students, and her favorite preventative strategies for separation anxiety.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/support-anxious-students-1

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for this month's Coffee with the Counselor: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

Episode 80: Anxiety Counseling Crash Course: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/anxiety-crash-course

Episode 81: Anxiety Strategies for Class Counseling Lessons: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/anxiety-strategies

Episode 82: Anxiety Strategies for Small Group Counseling: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/small-group-counseling

Episode 83: Anxiety Strategies for Individual Counseling: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/strategies-for-individual-counseling

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

188: Anxiety Deep Dive with School Psych Sophia (Everything From CBT to Selective Mutism!) Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Anxiety does not just impact older students and adults. There are many elementary students who struggle with anxiety as well! As a school counselor, it can be challenging to determine the root of that anxiety and figure out what strategies may be beneficial for your student. I know we all want to support our students as best as possible so I am so excited to have Sophia from School Psych Finds on to share some knowledge and insights about helping our students with anxiety!

Sophia is trained as a school psychologist and has worked with families & children of all ages. She received her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and her M.A. & Ed.S. degrees in Educational & School Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. She runs the social media accounts & podcasts: School Psych Mom & School Psych Finds. She recently became a new mom to a baby boy and cares for him full time. She enjoys sharing information and creating resources targeted towards mental health, parenting, and school psychology.

Sophia has such a wealth of knowledge about anxiety in students! In this episode, she is sharing anxiety strategies she loves to use with kids, the steps to take when working with students with anxiety, insight into CBT and selective mutism, and preventative strategies for anxiety.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/anxiety-deep-dive

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for this month's Coffee with the Counselor: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

Check out TherapistAid.com: http://TherapistAid.com

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

187: 3 Grounding Strategies to Help Anxious Students Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

I think all of us can agree that kids are more anxious now than ever. And as school counselors, trying to find effective tools and strategies to figure out why our students are so anxious and help our students calm down can be challenging. So how can we help these students?

I completely understand how difficult it can be to come up with strategies when you have a student in your office whose anxiety is high. Having practical, easy to implement strategies handy for when your student needs them is helpful to both you and your students. If you've found yourself struggling to come up with a calming strategy on the spot, this episode is for you! I am sharing 3 of my favorite grounding strategies (plus a bonus strategy!) you can use with your students right away! I'm also sharing one of my favorite preventative strategies you can use with your students before they are in the midst of high anxiety.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/strategies-to-help-anxious-students

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for the FREE live training, Help Studnets Break the Stress Cycle: The Anxiety Management Tool You Didn't Learn in Grad School!: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/training

Grab your Anxiety Poster FREEBIE: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/anxiety-poster

Anxiety & Worry Individual Counseling Curriculum | Coping Skills and Strategies: https://shop.brightfutures-counseling.com/products/anxiety-and-worry-activities-games-and-lesson-plan-for-individual-counseling

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

186: Easy and Effective Anxiety Strategies with Mallory Zolinas Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

Students of all ages can suffer from anxiety or feel anxious about certain situations. Teaching them effective coping strategies for managing their anxiety is so empowering for them and can help them feel more calm in stressful situations. I always love to hear tips and strategies from other school counselors and I am so excited to have Mallory Zolinas join me to share some coping strategies for anxiety that she teaches her students.

Mallory is a 5th year Elementary School Counselor working with students in grades Pre-k through 4. She has been an IMPACT member for almost 2 years and loves having ready to use school counseling resources available any time I need them for individual sessions, group sessions, or class lessons.

In this episode, Mallory is sharing what she finds frustrating and what she loves about her job, what a day in her role looks like, and her favorite coping strategies for anxiety. Mallory has some incredible, easy to implement strategies she has found success with for her Pre-K through 4th grade students and I know you will walk away with new ideas to help make an even bigger impact on your students!

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/anxiety-strategies-2

Resources Mentioned:

Grab the Brain Dump FREEBIE: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brain-Dump-Worksheets-5340086

Check out the Breathing Stick Activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mindfulness-Freebie-Mindful-Breathing-3840837

Mini Paper Shredder: https://a.co/d/6gvgzvl

Worry Shredder Label: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Worry-Shredder-Mini-Paper-Shredder-Labels-9835703

Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Hot Cocoa Calm Book: https://a.co/d/aSQeacz

Follow Mallory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schoolcounselormsz

Get the Hot Cocoa Breathing Handout: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Hot-Chocolate-Deep-Breathing-Prompt-anxiety-and-calm-down-tool-5079451

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

185: Assessing Counseling Lessons...Simplified! Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

We are wrapping up our series on school counselor competencies with my favorite topics: assessing and data! Showcasing assessments and data is such an incredible way to advocate for your role and show your program's progress to stakeholders. In addition to it being an amazing way to advocate for your role, assessing and reporting program results is an ASCA school counselor competency!

Sharing your program's progress and impact doesn't need to be incredibly complicated and now is a great time to start thinking about how you want to share your data with stakeholders. Two of my favorite ways to showcase the benefits of school counseling is by creating an end of the year report and displaying a data wall. Both are amazing ways to share important data with parents, teachers, admin, and others! In this episode, I am sharing how I like to use both these options as ways to present the impact school counselors make.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/assessing-counseling-lessons

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for February's Coffee with the Counselor Training: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

ASCA Professional Competencies: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

How to Create a School Counseling End of the Year Report: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/blog/how-to-create-a-school-counseling-end-of-the-year-report

Get the School Counseling EDITABLE End of the Year Report: https://shop.brightfutures-counseling.com/products/school-counseling-editable-end-of-the-year-report

Check out the School Counseling Data Wall: https://shop.brightfutures-counseling.com/products/school-counseling-data-wall-counseling-bulletin-board

Episode 184: Planning Counseling Lessons...Simplified!: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/planning-counseling-lessons

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

184: Planning Counseling Lessons...Simplified! Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

Have you looked at the ASCA school counselor competencies and been totally overwhelmed? This whole month, I am focusing on simplifying these standards and making them easy to understand and easy to implement. We've previously covered direct and indirect student services and now it's time for one of my absolute favorite topics, planning. If you're a planner like me, you are going to love this, too!

Planning doesn't need to be complicated! There is a lot of jargon in the ASCA school counselor competencies but planning really comes down to three simple steps. In this episode, I am breaking down the three steps of planning: identifying the gap, developing goals, and implementing action steps. I am also giving practical examples of what this may look like so you can better understand each step and implement them without confusion!

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/planning-counseling-lessons

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for February's Coffee with the Counselor Training: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

ASCA Professional Competencies: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Episode 183: Direct Student Services 101: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/direct-student-services

Episode 182: Indirect Student Services 101: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/indirect-student-services

Episode 161: How to Plan Data Driven Small Groups: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/data-driven-small-groups

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

183: Direct Student Services 101 Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

Direct student services may not sound super interesting but this is the good stuff! It's the things we all enjoy doing and the reasons we became school counselors. Direct student services are when we are working with students in one on one settings, small groups, and class lessons. We all know that providing these services are the key parts of our role but how can we be sure we are delivering the best services possible to your students?

The ASCA professional competencies can be a bit challenging to read, understand, and implement, and as busy school counselors, it can be hard to find time to sort through them and figure out how they would look in an actual school counseling setting. That is why I dove into them, split them down into direct and indirect services, and broke down each behavior listed so you can get the info you need without the added stress. So in this episode, I am sharing the importance of each behavior and giving you some ideas and tangible things you can do to make sure that you're providing the best services possible.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/direct-student-services

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for February's Coffee with the Counselor Training: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

ASCA Professional Competencies: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

Grab the Social Emotional Learning Boom Cards Super Bundle: https://shop.brightfutures-counseling.com/products/social-emotional-learning-boom-cards-super-bundle

Episode 182: Indirect Student Services 101: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/indirect-student-services

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

182: Indirect Student Services 101 Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

What are indirect student services? We all know there is so much that goes into school counseling besides just the class lessons, small groups, and individual sessions. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes. These indirect student services are so important to making the biggest impact possible on all of our students.

If you're looking through the ASCA website, it may seem wordy, formal, and confusing making it challenging to determine what you should consider direct or indirect student services. So I went through and broke down the standards and competencies into easier to understand language, giving you the info you need without all the confusion! In this episode, I am sharing the ASCA standards and competencies that are considered indirect student services and explaining what each one means so you can better understand how to log the time you are spending doing these tasks.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/indirect-student-services

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for January's Coffee with the Counselor Training: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

ASCA Student Standards: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

ASCA Professional Competencies: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdf

Episode 161: How to Plan Data Driven Small Groups: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/data-driven-small-groups

Episode 142: Data Deep Dive: Measuring Services Provided: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/measuring-services-provided?rq=data

Episode 47: How You Can Use Your Small Group Data to Form Your Groups and Determine Their Effectiveness: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/episode47?rq=data

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

181: Document Services and Cross Off To-Dos Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

If you're like me, you're always looking for new ways to increase your productivity. As busy school counselors, we need to save every minute we can by finding more efficient ways to do things that work for our personalities and busy schedules. As we wrap up our productivity series, I want to share some of my favorite ways to more efficiently document services provided and ideas for how to make your to do list a little more effective.

You know I love sharing tips, tricks, and tools I have found that make your job as a school counselor a little easier. So in today's episode, I am sharing 3 efficient options for documenting services provided so you can find the best fit for you. Plus, I am sharing my favorite tools for digitizing my to do list to make it a little more manageable!

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/document-services

Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for January's Coffee with the Counselor Training: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

Check out my Counseling Log Template: https://shop.brightfutures-counseling.com/products/school-counseling-data-collection-spreadsheets-caseload-and-counseling-log

4 Systems for Implementing an Intentional Counseling Program: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/blog/4-systems-for-implementing-an-intentional-counseling-program?rq=log%20

School Counselor Questions: How Do I Collect Data During the School Year: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/blog/school-counselor-questions-how-do-i-collect-data-during-the-school-year?rq=counseling%20log

5 Strategies for Stress Free Data Collection: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/blog/5-strategies-for-stress-free-data-collection?rq=counseling%20log

Trello: https://trello.com/

To Do List: https://todoist.com/

Due App: https://www.dueapp.com/

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll