As a School Counsellor I am always looking for resources. Here are a few great ones I have found that you might like too.
Worry Box Click here for more information.
Worry Buckets Irrational Rational Thoughts … click here for more information
Printing on Post it notes . Click here for some great how to’s . Here is a free template to download. Here is Tony Vincents great instructions.
Check out this free blogging template
Creating an e book with google slides. Here is how.
Each day as a School Counsellor you have an opportunity to impact a child’s life in a way unlike others are able to do. Never ever lose sight of that. It might be a small action that touches a child’s heart and makes a difference for a lifetime. You have the time to truly listen and understand what it is a child needs and how to help them in a way that can change their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. It is a gift you have been given to give away , so treasure the moments that are right there in front of you each day as you enter your school. You are there for a purpose.
“You are not here to fill space or be a background character to someone else’s movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us. ” David Niven
I believe we all have a purpose in life. Each child that comes our way is precious and we were brought to them to make a difference. It is up to us to leave them feeling or thinking or doing something differently than when they walk into our office. It is up to us to help . That is the reason we do what we do. So keep doing it! The world would be a different place without YOU in it!
If you don’t know what #SCCHAT is . It is an International School Counsellor Chat that runs from Sept. – June 6:30 MT 8:30 ET . It was founded by the amazing Erin Mason @ecmmason in 2011. You can post in #scchat all year-long at any time of the day no matter where in the world you live. We’d love to get to know you.
We have some great topics . Mark your calendars and join in!
| MONTH | TOPIC | Co – moderators |
| SEPTEMBER 5th 2018 | The School Counselor’s Role in Suicide Intervention and Postvention | Look for these in September |
| OCTOBER 3rd 2018 | Relationships/Rapport w/ Students, Teachers and Parents | |
| NOVEMBER 7th 2018 | Bullying Prevention
“Promoting Positivity & Self-Esteem in a World of… |
|
| DECEMBER 5th 2018 | Collaborating with Other Professionals in Your Building | |
| JANUARY 2nd 2019 | Counselor as Leaders: How do you Advocate for your School Counseling Program? | |
| FEBRUARY 6th 2019 | Celebrate School Counseling! (special invite for grad students) | |
| MARCH 6 th 2019 | Equity in School Counseling | |
| APRIL 3rd 2019 | Developing Positive Relationships with Challenging Students | |
| MAY 1st 2019 | The 21st Century Counselor | |
| JUNE 5th 2019 | Celebrating Our Year |
We are so excited to get to know and celebrate you all year-long! You are doing amazing life changing work, so keep it up!
“Nothing leaves a deeper impact on students than actually allowing students to see proper social media usage modeled daily by respected adults (parents, teachers, administrators) and by allowing students to use social media properly in the actual space” says Nikki D Robertson in her article Don’t Ban Social Media.
Digital Citizenship becomes even more important daily as students and adults figure out what matters online. As School Counsellors you can take the lead in this area. If you know how to navigate and model proper social media usage , then you will be able to assist the students you serve to do so too.
I know for me learning all the ins and outs was not easy ( and still isn’t ) , but the lessons were so important for me to learn as a seasoned School Counsellor. I am here to say we are never too old to learn and we should indeed continue to discover and educate ourselves. Every day I continue to master new ideas and believe we must start early to teach all students and all staff about digital citizenship.
Daily online, I see school administrators, counsellors , teachers and students who do not understand the basic concept of EVERYTHING ONLINE IS PUBLIC. Even if you believe it is private … it is not. Many fall into the trap of the Illusion of Privacy.
If you’d like more articles on digital citizenship you can check out my online School Counsellor Talk weekly here.
I hope to see many more School Counsellors take the lead when it comes to this most important area in a comprehensive school counselling program plan. Won’t you join me on this learning journey?
This week I was extremely fortunate to be Certified as a Trainer for the Mental Health Literacy Program facilitated by renowned psychiatrist Dr. Stan Kutcher
I was excited to be able to participate, as I have known about Dr. Kutcher’s work for a while. I am happy to say all four days were absolutely worth it. I left feeling I had learned many things that will assist me in my professional work and as a result impact the lives of the students we serve in our school community. I also loved his dry wit which absolutely kept me engaged during the process.
The training has fabulous resources for school counsellors, educators and mental health workers to utilize. This program is one of the best I have seen in a long time. It is rich in content, research, and resources.
When it comes to mental health we want students to:
CONNECT
CONNECTING
One of important things that Dr. Stan Kutcher discussed during the four days is the difference between:
Too often we do not normalize what young people are feeling. It is normal to feel sad after a break up, but that does not mean the student is in a clinical depression. We need to teach our young people the difference between distress, problem and disorder and the Mental Health Curriculum Guide does just that. It teaches students and educators the Mental Health Literacy that they need in today’s world based on present day research on the brain.
If you want to learn more you can take a quiz here to get you started…
Below I will share a few of the fantastic resources available. You may want to book a training in your area if you do contact @TMentalHealth
Digital storytelling:
Panic Disorder:
Coping with suicidal thoughts:
http://teenmentalhealth.org/resources/entries/coping-with-suicidal-thoughts/
Depression:
I really hope educators from around the globe will consider this fantastic program as part of any initiative that will benefit every student and family in their school and community.
Counsellor Talk : Creative Collaborative Connections 