Counselor Q&A: Part 1

Hey y'all! I had posted about counselor questions you may have because I had hoped to do a little Q&A. Now, let me first start by saying....I am definitely NOT an expert. I have been a counselor for only 4 years going on 5 and have tons to learn.

I feel like I have some ideas to bring to the table and wanted to help any questions new counselors or interns may have. I know how scary it can be looking for a job and starting your first year. Being a counselor can be a scary job because we are a big part of our students' lives but it sure can be the most rewarding job! I broke this up into two parts because I wanted to be able to give thorough and hopefully helpful answers. So let's start!  These are some questions that sweet counselors sent in!


I am going to be interning at a middle school in the fall. I love doing small groups, but they are not done often at this school. My supervisor says I am welcome to give them a try. I have experience with groups at the elementary school. Do you have any tips/ideas/resources for groups at the middle school level?


Great question!! I had to figure this out, as well, this year. I moved from elementary to middle school and did tons of elementary small groups (12 to be exact) but was clueless as to how I would run them at the middle school level. With different lunches, CAIN time (student support after lunch), and different periods I was a bit overwhelmed at first but then I tried to get creative. 

I emailed teachers a couple of weeks after school had started (I think the 2nd six weeks) to ask who may benefit from some of the groups I was going to start (based on the needs of some kiddos I had already met with).  From there I looked up each of their lunches and created a chart to see if I had any common kiddos at specific lunches for specific topics. From that, I was able to do lunch bunch small groups similar to what I did in elementary. 

In regards to resources, I usually kept it simple. I did, however, use this book a lot. 

You can find it on Amazon HERE!

I also used a lot of music for "free writing" activities, journals for coping skills, paper and markers for writing goals, and I also loved looking up fun icebreaker, team building activities online.

Ultimate Camp Resource had a lot of neat ideas for icebreakers. You can find the site HERE. With my students, I noticed they enjoyed team building and just talking more than anything!! I just tried to see the needs of the group and the vibe the first meeting and that helped me to plan for future sessions.



Any suggestions on how to make yourself stand out when applying places!? I have just finished a year leave replacement and am now looking for a new position.

This may be corny...but I think being yourself is the key to standing out. Focusing in on your talents and letting a glimpse of that show in your interview really sets you apart. At the same time, it's also important to understand that not only do you want a job....but you probably want to be at a campus where you are the right fit. When I applied for elementary positions, I knew that I was going to be flexible and adapt but luckily the principal that hired me wanted someone creative, positive, and upbeat! When I went into my interview, I created a not so traditional resume that was fun and highlighted my strengths. Note: I also brought my regular resume.
Here is an example of what I gave them as a way to see how I enjoyed being creative.

 I think letting them see your passion shine through and being genuine makes a big difference!!! I also think dressing professionally is so important. I have sat in on many interviews and helped out at job fairs and there have been times I was either shocked by how short a skirt was or how low cut a shirt was or how it seemed like they didn't try at all and just threw on something. I am in no way judging or saying looks matter but if you are wanting to obtain a job and work with kids, dressing professionally is important. Professionalism is so important! Now, have I gotten every job I applied for? No... but I remember thinking that I will be put where I am supposed to be and that gave me a sense of peace about it all. I know it can be heartbreaking and stressful and put you on a roller coaster of emotions but just be yourself and know that you will end up where you're meant to be!! Good luck!!! : )


Starting out as a fresh new school counselor: Any tips on some must haves I should have in my tool box?

 I think no matter what grade level you have, there are some simple, budget friendly essentials.

#1 Paper and markers
It's amazing what some markers, paper, and prompts can do. At my last school, we had a lot of students that did not speak English. We had refugees from around the world and when I had them come to me, I was so thankful for paper and markers because somehow we could communicate with pictures. It was amazing. 
There are so many activities you can do with those basics. For elementary, it may be drawing how you feel or drawing something that scares you. For middle school, it may be writing down goals or drawing/writing how you feel when people call you names, etc.

#2 Stress ball or something students can "fiddle" with
Sometimes I have students who truly need to see me but feel so awkward. That is when a stress ball or a squishy ball comes in handy. They may want to talk it out but have something to "fiddle" with to possibly avoid eye contact or use it as a way to distract their nervousness. I am actually on the look out for more items like this!! 

#3 A laptop/technology
A laptop or ipad is a must have! Whether it is to play a song to reflect on in group or a video for students, or a way to access college info...a laptop or computer is a must for any counseling program. 

#4 A Planner
Being organized is one of the biggest qualities a school counselor must possess. As counselors we wear many hats and having a planner or electronic way to keep it all together is an absolute must!!

#5 Books
For elementary, I had a lot of books that I frequently used in my guidance lessons and even small group (Ex: Julia Cooke books). For middle school, I would love to do a book study or integrate more literature into lessons but even they sometimes love the younger kids' books. I remember reading Oh the Places You'll Go and then creating goals and plans of action!! They loved it!!

I would say we could add so many items to this like puppets, printables on the wall, etc but really you can start off with these simple things and do so much!!!


I hope these were helpful and I look forward to the next round of Counselor Q&A's which I will post this week! If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me at melroseacker@yahoo.com or comment below!!

Data, data, data!

I don't know about you but a few years ago the word data kind of scared me. When I was a teacher, I felt like data judged me as an educator but now I know that data is my bff. It is my accountability. It helps me to create my counseling program and needs of my students. I saw a video that someone had posted on facebook about how their school used data in their counseling program and oh.my.word. I feel in love with what their counselors were doing. You can watch the video HERE.

I would love to know how you and your school uses data to read your students' needs. So please feel free to share. At my campus, our principal is amazing with data. he has even earned the nickname Dr. Data because everything is backed by data. Any struggling students are monitored and literally no student falls between the cracks., It is quite impressive. I think it works so great at our school because there is a balance of heart and data. Although, everything is tied to data, everything has a lot of care put into it so we don't lose sight of the purpose. I will definitely be looking into ways to implement something like the counselors in the video did. I think as counselors, we need to back up what we do. Of course, we wear many hearts and make a difference in the lives of our students but we need to make sure we have the evidence for our schools, district, and state to show how much we make a difference.

Moving on, I wanted to share my Conversation Starters which you can find HERE for purchase. I love using these in groups and individual counseling. They are also great to use as icebreakers. Just print, laminate, cut out, and put in a cute mason jar or cup and you have a quick and easy resource ready to go!! The topics these cover are self esteem, friendship, and bullying.

Of course, I would never leave you with a freebie. This counselor to do list can either be printed to take notes on of big projects or framed so that you can reuse it with a dry erase marker. I can't wait to frame mine for my desk!!

You can get yours for free HERE. I hope you all have a great week! Please feel your fingers crossed that all goes well with our closing on our new house. We are so excited to get in and settled!! I will post pics soon!!

Music in Counseling: Part Two and a Whole Bunch More!

Hey y'all! I am so happy to have a chance to sit and blog! I have had sooo much to say and write about.

I would love to start with using music in counseling. I love music....all kinds of music!!! Music is amazing because a song can bring so much emotion and strike up so many memories...good and bad. I love using music in small groups for self esteem and friendship groups. The possibilities are endless!! When I am using songs, I try to use popular songs that the kids can relate to. Some of the songs that I have used and plan to use are:

1. Taylor Swift: Mean (Friendship Groups/Bullying)
2. Katy Perry: Firework (Focus: Celebrating Differences)
3. Demi Lovato: Skyscraper (Bullying/Friendship/Self Esteem)
4. Katy Perry: Roar (Celebrating Differences/Self Esteem/Bullying)
5. Sara Bareilles: Brave (Social Skills/Self Esteem)

Here are a couple of the videos and I always listen to the song first to make sure it is appropriate and if there is a part that is not, I mark the minutes of where to stop ahead.

The possibilities are endless with ways to use songs and they can cover so many topics. I usually have students listen to a song and we might do an activity to discuss the words in the song and how it applies to their life. A group that I had in the past decorated journals and we would listen to a song each week or every other week and they would write about a time that they felt how the song explained and would share with the group.

Speaking of decorating journals, I wanted to somehow incorporate my Bully Police (which you can read about here) but in middle school.  I am starting out small and just seeing how it will go. Basically, I had a group of students who are super sweet kiddos who would often visit to report bullying or not so good character. So I asked them to be like secret agents and meet with me three times a week (for about 10 minutes) or as needed to report any bullying or situations that concerned them. They have been AWESOME!! I may expand the group but I think keeping it small works best to protect their identity. The other day, they enjoyed a couple of minutes decorating their bully reporting journals. And let me add....glitter makes everything better!



It's also Bullying Prevention Month and I wanted to share a super cool resource that I found the other day!
This is a link for students to sign a digital petition to put a stop to bullying. It has free resources for both elementary and middle school.
http://www.pacer.org/bullying/digitalpetition/

This site derives from the above Pacer site that is targeted for teens and provides resources, stories, poems, and videos from teens who are being bullied or have been bullied and how they overcame it. Great, FREE resource!!!
http://www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/#/home

Have you ever had an activity that you did that was so simple yet SO powerful? When I don't have tons of time to prep or if I am meeting with a student for the first time and they aren't so chatty, I always do this activity. They can draw or write: their family, favorite food, hobby, goal, something that scares them, and something that makes them happy. I jot this down on a paper I fold to where there are six boxes.

I know it's not cute or anything but I would say 75% of the time, I get SO much information and the discussion takes off just from these simple little things. I did this with a middle schooler but my elementary kiddos usually enjoyed drawing the pictures! Please share and comment any of your simple yet effective things you do!!!

Last week, I had a reader message me on facebook about my name  the Stylish School Counselor. She asked if since my name has "stylish" in it, could I post some of my outfits on my facebook page? Well, I don't always feel so stylish but I try to dress comfy and cute on a budget! I got the name for the blog because I had someone at my last job always say I look stylish and I like to create cutesy things so I thought it would be a cute name. If you see me at home as I type this in my very worn pink striped pajama pants and lime green church t-shirt, you would think I am VERY far from stylish but I do think it would be fun to post some outfits when I don't look crazy or have food stains on my clothes...haha! So feel free to follow me on instagram @melroseacker!  Here is a glimpse of what I wore Wednesday.

Speaking of clothes and accessories...I am crossing my fingers my hubby will let me order these adorable rain boots I have been lovin'. Here in Texas it has been a bit rainy and fall has finally made it's arrival! How stinkin' perfect would these be in my closet...and maybe yours?

Hunter Tall Gloss Rain Boots


I am about to cuddle up with a cup of hot green tea and catch up on all my favorite counseling blogs!! Hope you all have a great week!

Relaxation, Organization, and Games....say what?

Hey y'all! I have missed you so much!! I have so been neglecting my blog! I have been busy starting my new position and prepping for the year. I hope you all are having time to get ready while finding time to still relax. Relaxation is SOOO important even if it means grabbing Starbucks and getting a pedi/mani. I know that and shopping are my ways to relax! : )
I know many readers on here are super busy and have a lot going on outside of counseling, so that is why it is super important to make sure you get your YOU time in. It seems that counselors are the worse about this (even though we know how important it is) because we juggle so many things at work and many times juggle so many things at home (family, outside activities, keeping up the house, Pinterest). I found this quote online and created a little picture below...this quote is so stinkin' true!

This quote is so true. I think about this in regards to being a counselor and a wife and mom. If I don't take rest, how will I be effective to my students and give them my all while I am at work?? If I don't take rest, how will I have the energy and calm mind set to play outside with my kids or spend time with my husband? I thought it was a quote worth sharing!

So I experienced my first day in my new district and by.golly do I love it!!

me trying to be cool and not sure why I wore a cardigan in 100 degree Texas weather...haha


I have my office, for the most part, complete. I have some things to hang and I would love a shelf to store games and activities. I think it's pretty cozy but it feels so empty. After being in elementary for so long, I am used to having tons of stuff everywhere!!

I can't wait to hang my dream.believe.achieve signs somewhere on the wall in a cluster. I want all my kiddos to see them because I want them to have big dreams, believe they can accomplish them, and achieve it!!!

You can get your own copy of these signs for FREE, here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inspirational-Posters-Set-of-3-783919
I just purchased some cheap $3 frames to put them in! 

And if you haven't downloaded this for your office, here is the link for FREE counseling signs. They are great for testing and to let people know when you're in a session so they won't interrupt.

You can get them here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-Signs-801442

I have been posting on facebook how I would try to blog about organization. I think it will be in small parts because there are so many things to cover. Today, I will start with the basic thing that I can't.live.without.....and that would be my calendars. I have blogged about my love for Erin Condren calendars which you can still order here: http://www.erincondren.com/store/

I use this mostly for personal/family stuff like appointments, birthdays, and reminders but if I have a big meeting or something important at work I record it here so if I am trying to make an appointment for my kids I will know what day not to do it.

At work, I created a binder using my calendar in my TPT store which you can find here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2013-2014-Calendar-717126

I created a cover and I put all of the important notes/reference pages that I know I will use often in the front pocket.

This is my absolute.must.have item!!! I record any meetings, appointments, staff development, special days (Red Ribbon Week, Education Week, etc) here! I love technology but I am the type of person that has to write it all down. So basically this little binder is my BFF!

I feel that forgetting a meeting or important date is a horrible feeling! So this is my first key to organization, this is also where I map things out in guidance or small group.

Another way I keep myself together is with binders. I am not a file folder kinda gal. I like having everything clear to see and a place to go.

I like having everything hole punched and behind labeled dividers so if I am looking for something I can flip to it, copy it, and put it right back. That's just me and maybe I am weird. Well, probably...haha.

The next thing and I promise last thing I wanted to highlight are the use of games in counseling sessions. I am a big believer of play therapy and I think kids express the most through play. Below are some games I have used and have heard of people using. I am sure the possibilities are endless with how you use them. I will try to link up where you can purchase them.

 

This game is Bullies, Victims, and ByStanders. I used this game A WHOLE LOT last year. The kids loved it and it had really good scenarios. I used it a lot in my Friendship group and it was great to hear the conversations that would come up just from reading the cards. 

http://www.amazon.com/toys-games/dp/B003ZFXGIA

 

I have seen some counselors even tape scenarios to the jenga blocks in group and I have also seen this in team building activities. http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-A2120-Jenga-Classic-Refresh/dp/B00ABA0ZOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1375813483&sr=1-1&keywords=jenga+game 

How cool is this? I found this on an AMAZING site called Child Therapy Toys....I am so starting a wish list tonight!!! This would be great as an introductory activity for a group or for a social skills group. 

http://www.childtherapytoys.com/store/product6917.html

I know there are plenty more and I would love any comments about games you use and how you use them!!!

I also wanted to show you a new pack I created. It is great for starting up your counseling office if you're new or starting fresh. 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Counseling-Office-Starter-Pack-793679 

This pack includes the August through June calendar, a check in scale, small group rules (which I always have posted), Rules of Confidentiality (I always have posted, too), to do list, counseling log, and a little activity!



If you have started this school year already, I hope you are having a fabulous start and if you haven't started yet, I wish you the best!!! Don't forget to RELAX!!! : )