School Counseling Simplified Podcast

Latest Episodes:

74: Simple Small Group Organization Hacks Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

This month I'm focusing on sourcing topics based on the feedback you gave me on your goals for the year. I had one of you say that their goal was to run at least five counseling groups this spring semester. This is a wonderful goal and totally doable.

So, I want to share a few organizational strategies when it comes to small groups. Specifically, tips that will make your counseling life just a little bit easier and will make managing and running those groups more simple.

All of these solutions are practical and doable ways to simplify your group organization. However, they do take a little bit of effort. I promise they are worth it though! If you get organized with your small groups, this allows you to spend less time planning and prepping and more time counseling kiddos. That's our passion at the heart of it and why we're in it, right? We want to help as many students as possible. Getting organized allows you to do that.

Lastly, I have a freebie for you! It has three components - scheduling, organization and data collection. There's an organization toolkit inside that I think you're going to find very helpful! You can snag that freebie here.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/small-group-organization

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

73: How to Create a Schedule That Doesn't Overwhelm You Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

I recently put a poll out to find out what your counselor goals, or resolutions, are for 2022. I used your answers to plan for my podcast episodes for the month of January. One of the topics that came up a lot was creating an efficient schedule. We all know the feeling of creating a schedule and then experiencing all kinds of interruptions that completely throw us off track.

So, this week I am going to talk to you all about my favorite scheduling secrets. I'll share some practical solutions to streamline your schedule and make your counseling life easier. Planning your schedule intentionally, and eliminating disruptions as much as possible, will allow you to meet with your students and maintain your commitment to them and your scheduled times.

Lastly, don't forget that at the time of this recording, we are in the middle of a site-wide TpT counselor sale. We have $2 deals and products that are 50% off! We only do a discount this large twice a year, so run and check out the Counselor Deals here or search #counselordeals on TpT for the sale.

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/create-a-schedule

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

72: Ask me Anything (and a few resolutions!) Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Happy 2022, school counselors! I hope you had a restful holiday break and are ready for what the next 12 months have in store for you! Do you enjoy this time of year, or not so much? I know people have mixed feelings about what comes with a new year, such as setting resolutions. Personally, I love setting goals and planning for what's to come. Overall, I have wild optimism at the beginning of a new year. I hope you're feeling some excitement as well!

I've decided to do something different for today's episode. It's kind of a mash-up of two different topics. First I'm answering some questions that I received in our free Facebook group, Bright Futures School Counselors. In the second part of the episode, I'm sharing some New Year resolutions that fellow school counselors shared with me on Instagram. If you haven't set a resolution yet, maybe these will give you some good ideas!

Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/ask-me-anything

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

71: Unexpected Self-Care Tips for the New Year Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

What comes to mind when you hear "self-care"? We all know self-care is important, but what about self-care at work? There are actually ways to practice self-care at work that can make your life a little easier and relieve stress…and they have nothing to do with bubble baths and essential oils.

In this episode, I'm sharing unexpected self-care tips for the new year, specifically for school counselors. These tips will make your counseling life a little easier and your time spent at school more productive. These are things that you can begin to implement at the beginning of a new year, or anytime!

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70: How to Conduct a Mid-Year Data Checkup Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Tracking and collecting data throughout the school year is a must. In this episode, I'm sharing how you can conduct a mid-year data checkup so you can continually make changes to your program to better serve your counseling students.

Sending a needs assessment to students, parents, and teachers is a great way to see how things are going with your program. It's the perfect time to make changes in your groupings and student lessons. Not only will you be better equipped to meet the needs of your students, but it's the perfect time to advocate for your role. Being able to show your principal and administrators the impact your program is making with students at the time of year when they are making decisions about funding is crucial to showing just how valuable your role as a counselor is.

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

69: Why you Should Host a Counseling Holiday Party Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

What are some of your favorite memories from elementary school? It's important for kids to have positive experiences around school and for our counseling students to have positive counseling experiences. Holiday parties are a great way to add some fun to counseling and build relationships with your counseling students.

In this episode, we're keeping it light hearted as I give you ideas to plan a Counseling Holiday Party that you can host even without a classroom. These ideas work great for groups of students or individuals and can be done during group time or as a drop-in system.

Break out the holiday music and festive snacks and get ready for some fun!

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

68: How to Use a Countdown Calendar to Build Rapport with Drop-in Students Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Happy December! The countdown to winter break is on. I absolutely love this time of year. Everything is so fun and festive, especially at the elementary level. I'm always trying to think of ways that I can put a seasonal twist on counseling activities to keep your students (and you) engaged.

At the same time, I always had the problem of "frequent flyers" popping up. You know the ones. The kids who are always stopping by wanting to chat instead of going to their classroom. I used to think I just needed to rush them back to their classroom as quickly as possible. However, I realized over time they were stopping by to see me for a reason. They wanted to build a relationship with me and I didn't want to dismiss that.

While I wanted them to feel welcome in my office and comfortable with me, I also wanted to make our time together purposeful...especially if they were missing class. Over time, I thought of some fun ways that I could accomplish this. Since it's the winter season, I created my "Countdown to Winter Break Interactive Calendar".

In this episode, I'll explain exactly how this calendar works and even how you can DIY one. If you create a countdown calendar of your own, snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @brightfuturescounseling so that I can see the final product!

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

67: Team Player Series: Students Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

The first episode back after Thanksgiving break is the final episode of the Team Player Series, focused on students. I have spoken about how to collaborate with other stakeholders in the last few episodes and couldn't possibly leave out the kids we work with day in and day out. The ideas I share are action items that can be done from the first session you have!

It goes without saying that it is so important to build rapport and trust with students from day one. While you may consider playing games to establish a connection with the student, I will share activities that are twofold. Not only will your students enjoy themselves and have fun, but you will also gain insight into their thoughts and feelings. And if you've been listening for a while, you know I love doing feelings checks!

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

66: Team Player Series: Admin Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

All month I've been talking about how you can collaborate with your stakeholders, and this episode is dedicated to principals. Your administration can really dictate how your program runs, so this is a very important topic! Some principals can micromanage while others don't want to be involved at all, hopefully your principal is somewhere in the middle.

These strategies can allow you to be in control no matter how involved, or not involved, your principal wants to be. One of the easiest ways to do this is by communicating with them that you have all your student's needs met. This way you will be a breath of fresh air amongst the chaos! What better way to advocate for your role than to show your principal that you've got everything under control?

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

65: Team Player Series: Parents Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

For this week's Team Player Series episode, I will share how to get parents on board. I'm sure each and every one of you listening right now has experienced backlash from a parent at some point in your career. If you're like me, you probably realized if you had communicated more in the first place some of those situations never would have occurred.

Basically what I'm saying is to communicate, communicate, communicate! There is a caveat of course. The expectations, communication style, and feelings of parents are all going to be different. These tips I provide will be helpful no matter what the parent needs from you when collaborating about their child. Join me next week for another episode in the Team Player Series!

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If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

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