Having something for students to handle, manipulate, or play with while talking to the school counselor is important.  There are times a topic is too fresh or uncomfortable to come right out and talk about what’s on their mind.  Giving them something to fidget with helps struggling students, and adults, share their concerns. Of course I have paper and a variety of coloring tools and stress balls available.  However, the items below are some of the fidgets my students love best! All of these items can be purchased on Amazon except for the ones listed as being from Dollar ..read more

  The National Center for Youth Issues has created a series called 15 Minute Focus: Brief Counseling Techniques that Work.  These short, comprehensive guides are a great addition to any school counselor’s library. Each one provides an overview of information on the designated topic, counseling techniques, tips for school staff and parents, and resources.  I have found these books make an excellent resource for creating a much needed faculty training or parent awareness session. This blog post will focus on the 2 newest additions to the 15 Minute Focus series, Self-Harm and Self ..read more

  Allison Edwards, author of 15 Minute Counseling Techniques That Work, has delivered another essential guide for school counselors.  Flooded: A Brain-based Guide explains the brain science behind what happens to children when they are emotionally dysregulated.  As school counselors, we see examples of this every day in our schools. This book provides excellent reminders about how trauma impacts not only emotional regulation but learning as well. Allison also shares techniques to use for teaching flooded students how to regulate their emotions.    As I was ..read more

This great new book for children, I Can Say NO, is certainly one that hit a nerve with me!  In an effort to be team players, supportive, and helpful, many of us have said yes, when what we really want to say is, "NO!"   Before reading this book I was thinking of saying no only in the context of stranger danger or drugs.  However, as important as these are, there are so many other ways we need to teach our children to use their voices and say, "NO!" I love the idea that saying no is a superpower.  In the story, Zuri  explains how saying no gives her control of he ..read more

Here's a book school counselors will reach for again and again! Beautifully illustrated, with a diverse collection of story characters, What's Inside Your Backpack? tells the story of Zoey Harmon who is carrying around a lot of fears she's not sure how to handle.  Like many of the students school counselors see, Zoey feels alone and ashamed because of things that have happened to her and worries about what others will think if they know about her life.  She also worries about losing a friend if they were to know what she was going through.  Her worries are portrayed a ..read more

In just a few short days it will be my favorite week of the year, National School Counseling Week!  No, not School Counselor Week, but School Counseling Week.  This is not a week for appreciating your school counselor although, who doesn't love to be appreciated?!  This week is about advocating for the profession. So let's talk about the importance of advocacy and its far reaching impact!   In my career I've had 9 principals and 14 assistant principals.  Four of those assistant principals have gone on to be principals, one became a curriculum superintendent, and ..read more

  This is the perfect time for an updated version of Julia Cook's 2008 book,  Don't Be Afraid to Drop. With the uncertain times our students and their families are still facing, it is helpful to have a story to share about change, facing our fears, and taking risks. Julia Cook is re-releasing this timely story about Hopp the raindrop with new, softer illustrations by Anna Laura Sullivan.   Hopp is too worried to drop.  It is something new and unfamiliar. This means change and he is afraid to leave the comfort of his home, family, and friends.  The cloud is ..read more

I know if you are reading this, you love Julia Cook's books as much as I do.  So keep reading to learn more about her latest book and how you can enter to win one of 2 free copies provided by National Center for Youth Issues! In this book, Julia Cook introduces readers to Wade, a character to whom many of our struggling students can relate.  How often have we heard from students about how hard it is to study, and the difficulties they have with concentration and recall?  Her latest book provides school counselors with ideas and some practical activities to help st ..read more

What could be better when heading back to school than free books by Julia Cook? Okay, definitely no pandemic, but unfortunately, I can't help you with that.  What I can do, is offer 2 free copies of Julia Cook's newest book, I Have Ants in My Pants!   If you know Julia Cook you know Louis from Personal Space Camp, My Mouth is a Volcano, and It's Hard to be a Verb.   Julia has teamed up again with illustrator Carrie Hartman to share the latest challenge faced by Louis. And if you know Louis, he has more than his fair share of challenges.  As elementary counselors ..read more

This post is an account of a recent personal experience and my thoughts regarding such. Please understand this in no way supports any specific political view or personal agenda.  I simply wish to share my realizations and reflections. Take them or leave them, but first hear what I have to say and consider its implications and our need as counselors for a plan of action. I have been a school counselor for many years.  I have worked at the elementary and middle school levels, supervised interns and taught at the university.  All this to say, I have adapted to many changes in my ..read more