I don't know about you but I find individual counseling one of the most challenging parts of school counseling. I used to feel this big weight that I needed to fix every kid that walked through my doors. I've grown a lot in that aspect but there are still some parts of the individual counseling process that can be, well, awkward. How about the first session of a parent/teacher referral? The kid isn't even sure why they're there and they may not be very excited about being there at all.

I decided to take a life lesson and apply it to counseling. Don't know what to talk about? Ask people about themselves. People LOVE to talk about themselves. Cue the initial interview questionnaire. There's something about asking a kid about themselves and writing down the answer. They love it! I think it makes them feel important. I could have the quietest kid in the world and have to cut them off because our time is up.

For the next week, my initial interview form will be available on Teachers Pay Teachers for FREE! Here's a few pointers:

• I always ask the kid if we can complete this "worksheet" so I can get to know them better
• Write down every thing they say. I have created my own shorthand to write quicker. This serves two purposes: to make the child feel like everything they are saying is important and to help you identify patterns in their responses.
• I keep these sheets on file for the rest of the year. It helps to refresh your memory about a child when you look at their sheet. I sometimes also notice patterns after new information has emerged and like to be able to look back at their responses.

Goodbye initial session awkwardness! I love having "go-to" resources to ease more difficult parts of the job. How about you? What resources do you love? Any you wish you had?

October 28th is National Mix It Up Day. You can read about our adventures with Switch it Up day last year. This year, I added a lunch component to fit more with the traditional Mix It Up Day model (and change to the more recognizable name). I printed conversation cards from Teachers Pay Teachers and they were a BIG hit! You can find the TPT cards here, here, and here. 

Because we had already had a Switch It Up day, I let the teachers take the lead. I shared two lesson plans (K-2 and 3-5) that my intern from last year created. The teachers could take all or part and share with their students. I also offered to go into the classrooms and do a partner activity to help them Mix It Up. I put out the conversation cards and changed them for older and younger students throughout the day. I also went out to the playground during the day to check on how things were going. The great thing about this model is that I didn't have to cancel any of my regularly scheduled groups or individual counseling sessions.

Here's some feedback I got from teachers:

• Our kids were excited when we paired them up yesterday morning.  Some of them hung out together all day rather than just at playtime.
• I loved the conversation cards at lunch.  They used them the entire time and it led to lots of smiling and laughter between the new partners.
•  I assigned partners for lunch and then different partners for recess.  We had a discussion after recess.  Some of the kids were not too happy about breaking out of their usual routine, but were able to see the positive side of trying something new and playing with new friends.  I didn't give them a choice--they each had to tell me one positive thing about Switch it Up Day!
  

Last year, my intern took the whole day to set up activities for the kids to do outside. They loved it! I would love to recreate that vibe without having to cancel all other events for the day. Any ideas? What do you do at your school for switch it up day?

It's Thursday (for a few more hours), so I'm sharing my most popular post ever about Integrity from over on the old blog. Enjoy!

It's time to learn about Integrity! I've found that integrity is one of those words that kids have heard before but don't really understand. I wanted to teach this quarter's lessons about integrity in a way that challenged the kids to really think. 

I started with some googling- you know: "integrity elementary lesson plans." I was surprised at how little I found! One of my pet peeves is lessons where the teacher/counselor introduces a concept and then we color a picture about it. Where's the challenge?

I am so happy with the lesson that unfolded! The kids had to think and think hard. Some of the kids had a hard time and needed help from their peers. Some of the kids were on the edge of understanding and had "aha" moments during our lesson. So. Great. 

A lesson that is fun and creative but still requires thinking?? Yes, please! Hope you enjoy!

What we did: 
Lesson 1

Introduce the word integrity. Ask for definitions. Write the definition on the board: Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. 

Read story of The Empty Pot. I didn't have the book so we watched this youtube video. 

Discuss the book: Why did emperor give the children dead seeds? Why did Ping have an empty pot?

Integrity Flowers: Brainstorm ways that you can show integrity. Have students write the ways they show integrity on strips of colored paper. I hand-drew lines and copied so that students would know where to write. It looks best if they only write on one half of the strip. (HINT: have students write their initials on back and paperclip to the full page so you'll be ready for the next lesson). 

Lesson 2

Integrity Flowers: Glue a circle above the pot. I used the die-cut to make circles out of construction paper. Using glue stick: glue the ends of the strips of paper together but do not crease. This helps it stay "fluffy." Use glue stick to glue around circle and make petals. (HINT: some students took the entire 30 minutes to finish these steps and others finished more quickly. They can decorate the pot and around the page if they have extra time). If time allows: share your petals around your table.

You can purchase the worksheet and the materials here at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store! 

Recently I participated in a conversation on the ASCA Scene (if you're an ASCA member, you should totally check it out), about self esteem in girls. I was reminded of an awesome group that I needed to dust off and pull back out - Girls Rock. I originally heard about this group at my state conference. I've since adapted and made it my own.

Some of the songs might be outdated but here's what we rock out to:
True Friend, Miley Cyrus
Here I Am, Renee Sandstorm
Who Will I Be, Demi Lovato
Hero in You, KSM
I Don't Think About It, Emily Osment

I think a lot of the songs in my personal anthem blog post would also work great. I also found this amazing list on the Mighty Girl website. Basically, pick songs you don't mind listening to a bunch of times and have a positive message. This year, I plan to download my songs and play them from my iPad. 

In each group session, I pass out the song lyrics and we listen to the song. The discussion stays low-key as each girl shares a part of the song that stood out to them. If I have a quiet group, we may dissect the chorus, but I try to let the girls lead the conversation. We then complete an activity related to the song.

In the first session, we listen to the song True Friend by Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) and reflect on our own friendship qualities to make a friendship goal. We then self-rate this goal weekly and discuss how each girl is improving her friendships. In another session, we create brochures describing your best qualities. As our culminating activity, we write a group story with all of the girls as characters, using their unique qualities as friends. As I was dusting off the group folder, I found this story a group of girls had written, I've changed the names but just had to share. I think it really captures the positive vibe these girls have. 

I have decided to celebrate Throwback Thursday by bringing back old, popular posts from my school blog. Happy Thursday! 


Do you have a personal anthem? A song that gets you ready to face a challenge, feel proud of who you are, or helps you feel motivated? I recently met with a group of students for lunch bunch on the topic of "self confidence." We focused on the personal anthem. 

I introduced the topic by talking about a national anthem. What is the purpose of a national anthem? To share your pride in your country, to help you feel a part of a community, and to bring the nation together. 

I was pleasantly surprised with how much my students "got" this. In fact, it was so successful that I replaced my normal stress lesson plan for my academic groups with the personal anthem. 

Here are some personal anthems my students chose:

Brave by Sara Bareillos (the video is also definitely worth checking out!)
Happy by Pharrell Williams
Let It Go with Indina Menzel
First Time In Forever with Kristen Bell
Hall of Fame by Will.I.Am (does include one curse word starting with an H)
Roar by Katy Perry
Best Day of My Life by American Authors
Pompeii by Bastille
Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams 

It was so much fun to listen to music and I think everyone left in a better mood. Enjoy!!