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Counselor Planner: Keep It Together

6/2/2021

39 Comments

 
What's Included: This Planner belongs to... page Color coded calendar at a glance Program Goals Page 6 curriculum pages 2 Group Plan pages  Weekly Schedule and To Do list Pages July 2016-June 2017 6 Individual Counseling Log pages Lined Notes Pages Unlined Notes Pages Mandala Quote Pages for Coloring Printing Instructions
Next year has to be better right? Right? I'm ready to get started in planning so I can focus on the positive. I need all the help I can get right now. Picture me doing the happy dance over here. I am so excited to share my Counselor Planner with you! Make sure to read to the end of the post for a free download!

What's Included:
  • This Planner belongs to... page
  • Color coded calendar at a glance
  • Program Goals Page
  • 6 curriculum pages
  • 2 Group Plan pages 
  • Weekly Schedule and To Do list Pages July 2021-June 2022
  • 6 Individual Counseling Log pages
  • Lined Notes Pages
  • Unlined Notes Pages
  • Quote Pages for Coloring
  • Printing Instructions 

Note: This product (and post) have been updated for the 2020-21 school year. This year, I've hole punched in a note book, I've also printed printed in a spiral notebook before as well. It's super easy to upload on a website like Staples or Office Depot and have it printed. It usually costs my about $15 depending on what options I use and coupons I find. I've included printing instructions in the materials as well. Best of all, you upload one document and it does it all for you!
Counselor Planner 2016-17 Plan out your year long program goals on one page at the front of your planner to keep you accountable all year long! www.counselorup.com
Plan out your year long program goals on one page at the front of your planner to keep you accountable all year long! 
Counselor Planner 2016-17 Include your curriculum plan in your planner so that you know which lessons are coming next. There are 6 pages for a total of 66 lessons. There is plenty of room to write notes if you write on the small side. I included a few reminders in my plan. Interested in any of these lessons? Check out my K-2 Curriculum Plan and 3-5 Curriculum Plan.  www.counselorup.com
Include your curriculum plan in your planner so that you know which lessons are coming next. There are 6 pages for a total of 66 lessons. There is plenty of room to write notes if you write on the small side. I included a few reminders in my plan. Interested in any of these lessons? Check out my K-2 Curriculum Plan and 3-5 Curriculum Plan. 
I like to run a lot of groups. That's great but sometimes I get confused on who meets when and what class the kids are in. I used to make boxes like these using markers on white paper. For the planner, I've classed it up a bit and given you a spot to write who, what, where, when for all your groups!
Counselor Planner 2016-17 Each week includes a two page spread. The appointment page is on the left and the to-do list page on the right. All pages are dated by week and include a weekend box at the bottom.  www.counselorup.com
Here comes the calendar! Each week includes a two page spread. The appointment page is on the left and the to-do list page on the right. All pages are dated by week and include a weekend box at the bottom. 
Counselor Planner 2016-17 Depending on the meeting, I like notes pages with lines or blank so I can sketch it out. I've included both types of pages!  www.counselorup.com
Depending on the meeting, I like notes pages with lines or blank so I can sketch it out. I've included both types of pages! 
Counselor Planner 2016-17 The individual counseling log is super easy to keep up with. Just write the student's name, their teacher and grade, and the initial time you saw them. After that, simply place a tally next to their name so that you can track your total sessions. Saves paper and the time consuming counting. www.counselorup.com
The individual counseling log is super easy to keep up with. Just write the student's name, their teacher and grade, and the initial time you saw them. After that, simply place a tally next to their name so that you can track your total sessions. Saves paper and the time consuming counting. 
Counselor Planner 2016-17 The entire planner has lots of doodling and art areas including mandala coloring pages with quotes. Helps when you're sitting in those super long staff meetings! www.counselorup.com
The entire planner has lots of doodling and art areas including mandala coloring pages with quotes. Helps when you're sitting in those super long staff meetings!

I've also included the color "codable" year at a glance calendar. Color the circles to correspond to workdays, vacations, early releases, etc. Click on the photo below to download the freebie!

Go ahead and purchase the planner today so that you can start off the year organized! If you'd like, I've also created monthly pages (free) and daily pages ($2). 
I've also included the color
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39 Comments

School Counseling in a Virtual Setting

8/19/2020

3 Comments

 
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The new school year is starting and many schools are beginning the year in online learning. As school counselors, this presents an unique challenge for how to proactively support students through a comprehensive school counseling program. By rethinking some of our basic best practices, I think we can successfully implement school counseling during remote learning. As I share suggestions today, make sure to keep your districts guidelines and policies in mind as you consider how you will shift and change your program this school year.

High Visibility

 (My very first principal told me that the reason he hired me was because I talked about visibility in my interview. If students and parents don't know who the school counselor is, they won't see you as a resource. I always signed up for breakfast duty because most of my kids ate breakfast in the cafeteria, I walk through the lunchroom during lunch, I go outside during recess to check on kids instead of calling them to my office, and I make sure to greet any parent that I see throughout the day. Being visible shows that you are a part of the school and not a person locked in their office waiting for the "bad" kids (note: there are no bad kids and if you disagree, let's talk). 

So how can we adjust this to the virtual setting?
  • Offer to read a book or stop in to morning meetings
  • Ask to be included in any videos or phone messages that go out to parents
  • Reach out to all parents by sending an email or asking teachers to include a message from you in their communication
  • Attend PLC meetings for grade levels or content areas
  • Call parents for students that you have worked closely with in the past just to check in
  • If feasible, send postcards or notes to students

Use Data to Connect

Collect as much data as possible on how Spring went for students. Use this data to determine students who might need additional help or support. Collect data on how participation is going this Fall. This is going to be your "I won't let this student fall through the cracks" list. We often have these lists as we start the year. I like to begin the year with a focus and this would be my focus for the beginning of 20-21.

When you reach out to parents do not talk about participation. This seems counter-intuitive, right? I heard about parents hanging up on the school in the spring, parents telling teachers and counselors they just couldn't do it and opting out. As we move forward with the 20-21 school year, that won't be as much of an option. We're no longer crisis teaching, we. have. to. make. this. work. The first step to building a team is building a relationship. Call and check in. Call and be a listening ear. And, please, don't just send an email. 

Be the Support

Every year, I have a few students that just need me to check on them. We're not really doing deep counseling work. We may not even have super specific goals that they are working on. But I notice that when I forget to check in, they start having a harder time. So I check in. I make sure they have that person that they know is watching out for them. 

How can we adjust this to the virtual setting?
  • If your students have email, use email as a simple check in tool
  • Ask parents if you can set up a 10-15 minute weekly check in (if this is allowed in your district)
  • Ask teachers if you can virtually stop by any small groups this student may be receiving in the classroom
  • Send a postcard or just call to say hello

Be Transparent

The best way to protect your time as a school counselor, is to be transparent about how you spend it. Keeping a calendar is a great place to start. Talking with your administrator, teachers, and parents about what you do on a daily basis is also important. If you have admin meetings or student support services team meetings, use that time to prepare talking points on your use of time data. Share the details that would matter to your stakeholders while protecting confidentiality. When we are in remote learning, it might be less obvious what the counselor is doing. To be values as a part of the team, we want to clearly show how we can be helpful.

Focus on Equity

Students don't learn in a vacuum, many of our students are carrying the weight of both a pandemic and racial injustice. These two intersect and overlap in ways that compound stressors for our students and families. This isn't the time to hold on equity work. Continue to interrupt racism as a school counselor, each and every day. 

Take Care of You

2020 has been the most stressful year of my professional life. I am sure that is true for many. Make sure to figure out what makes living in a pandemic a tiny bit more manageable and do it. Because sometimes it's too much. What keeps you going during stress?
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The new school year is starting and many schools are beginning the year in online learning. As school counselors, this presents an unique challenge for how to proactively support students through a comprehensive school counseling program. By rethinking some of our basic best practices, I think we can successfully implement school counseling during remote learning.
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Reopening School - The School Counselor Edition

8/1/2020

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Well, it's August 1, 2020 and that means there's only one thing on every school counselor's mind. What in the world are we going to do to support our students as we reopen school? First, let me explain that when I say "reopen," I mean starting the school year - whether that's virtual, hybrid, or fully in person. No matter how students rejoin our school community, we will need to be ready as school counselors to support them and their families in navigating school during a pandemic.

Acknowledge Difference

We're all coming back different. Not everyone is traumatized - some kids have had a great time at home, some kids are excited to come back to school, some kids are dreading the restart of the school year. Some kids had loss, some did not. No matter what, everyone is different. As counselors, I think we need to be cautious about going in to the school year assuming that all are traumatized. Let's find out how our students are really doing first.

Transition Support

How are you as a school counselor or school counseling department a part of the school's back to school transition support. If you are not able to hold "meet the teacher" nights, 9th grade orientations, or Kindergarten parent nights - what can you do instead. I think this is an area where we will grow and develop as a school community. Our new ideas might allow for more participation than traditional evening events and we might decide to keep them moving forward. Plan some type of back to school transition support for all students, not just new students or the first grade level for your building (K,6,9 etc). 

If you are going back to school in person - consider how you are communicating safety measures with students and families. Psychological safety is just as important as physical safety in welcoming our students. If students feel unsafe at school, their ability to learn and grow is negatively impacted.

Building and Establishing Relationships

We can't know how students are doing until we make a connection with them. There are two types of relationships we will need to consider: teacher-student relationship and counselor-student relationship. For teachers, they are likely feeling completely overwhelmed by the logistics of teaching in a pandemic and are nervous about all the missed instruction that students experienced in the spring. Check on your teachers. They may not be OK. Work with your administrator to create a plan for supporting the social emotional well being of your staff. Once you've supported your staff then ask how you can support teachers in creating opportunities for relationship building in their classroom. For some teachers, they will begin the year in virtual environments. This is a new challenge for everyone! They may need some support. Here is a great article from Cult of Pedagogy that might help. 

After students have started their days with their teachers, we will need to make sure that we have opportunities to build counselor-student relationships. This is particularly tricky if you are in a virtual environment. Like all aspects of a comprehensive school counseling program, we have to think about core opportunities for connection with all students. Core counseling instruction might look different this year. I anticipate that it might be harder to get time during instruction to teach lessons. You might need to get creative to incorporate social emotional learning into academics. You might need to ask to be a guest reader or have a quick drop in during class meetings instead of a full lesson. Conversely, you might be asked to be on the specials rotation to provide coverage for teachers. Make a plan for how you will have (virtual or in person) face time with every class/student on your caseload.

Supplemental and Intensive Supports

Some kids are not OK. For a variety of reasons, their world has been turned upside down and they need more help. Questions to consider:
  • Does your school have a referral process for staff and families to refer students for more support from the school counselor? How might this process need to change?
  • Does your school have a referral process for students to self refer? How might this process need to change?
  • Does your school do any data based problem solving to proactively identify students who might need additional support? 
  • Have you sought the perspective and voice of your stakeholder groups? Have you ensured that marginalized voices have been heard?
  • Has your school considered the impact of the Black Lives Matter social movement on your staff and students of color? Have you allowed for time to discuss, process, and consider how you will go about school differently as a result? 

Make A Plan

If there was ever a year that you cannot wing it, this is it. Make a plan. Take the time to make a comprehensive counseling plan. I personally use the ASCA National Model but I know that's not everyone's jam. To get started, I suggest:
  • Create SMART goals
  • Make a Core Lesson Scope and Sequence for the Year
  • Keep a detailed calendar
I double pinky promise that if you do these two things, you will see a positive impact on your ability to be proactive and productive with your comprehensive school counseling program. Here are some tips. 

Hey counselor - you got this. You can do it. 
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Progress Monitoring Goals with Students

9/3/2019

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Progress monitoring is important for students because it keeps them motivated and helps them to see if they are getting closer to their goal. It’s important for counselors because it helps us to see if the work we are doing is helpful for students. If we can see that the student is not, in fact, closer to meeting their goal, then we know we need to change what we are doing to help them.
Think about a personal goal you have made. What did you do to keep your motivation up? Did you use an app... color in squares on a journal... graph data points? I imagine that any goal that you are successful in meeting, you found a way to chart your progress along the way. This is doubly important when working with students in individual or group counseling. 

Progress monitoring is important for students because it keeps them motivated and helps them to see if they are getting closer to their goal. It’s important for counselors because it helps us to see if the work we are doing is helpful for students. If we can see that the student is not, in fact, closer to meeting their goal, then we know we need to change what we are doing to help them.

Progress monitoring can also be important information to share with parents and teachers. If the student is working on a non-confidential goal, like a behavior contract or homework completion. I can share that data with parents and teachers so that they can also work with the kiddo on meeting their goal. 

Progress monitoring is important for students because it keeps them motivated and helps them to see if they are getting closer to their goal. It’s important for counselors because it helps us to see if the work we are doing is helpful for students. If we can see that the student is not, in fact, closer to meeting their goal, then we know we need to change what we are doing to help them.

Bar Chart Graph

Bar charts are an easy way to chart progress. In this goal sheet, I write the date under the column and then ask the student to color in where they are in meeting their goal. For some kids, they can do this intuitively. For others, they may need some help identifying what each of the self-rating numbers mean. We graph the goal until they can maintain an 8-10 over several check-ins. Sometimes I use this in individual counseling, using the Solution Focused Brief Counseling mood meter. Other times, I use this in group, particularly my academic achievement group, to graph progress toward their observable goal. I love the group conversation because it allows students to process and reflect with their peers. It’s so powerful. 

Build It Up

Some students are dedicated to meeting their goal but struggle with getting there consistently. They might go up and down a lot and that can be discouraging. For these kiddos, I think it’s helpful to keep the mindset that every step is a step forward. For this, I use a bowl with beans/rocks/marbles. When we rate their goal on a scale of 1-10, they add that number of rocks to the bowl. Even on days where you’re a 1 or a 2, you haven’t given up and you’re still working toward your goal. I’m not big on rewards in counseling sessions so when they feel up the goal, we process how GREAT it feels and decide what to do next. 
Progress monitoring is important for students because it keeps them motivated and helps them to see if they are getting closer to their goal. It’s important for counselors because it helps us to see if the work we are doing is helpful for students. If we can see that the student is not, in fact, closer to meeting their goal, then we know we need to change what we are doing to help them.

In the Moment

Some students get overwhelmed by processing their goals over time. For these students, I use a one-time visual to mark their goal progress. With the mood meter, I laminate the pages and we write on them with dry erase marker (tip: use magic eraser to remove). For the mood clip chart, it’s not as precise as the numerical mood meter, but has a good visual with feelings faces. Sometimes, I even have the student show me with play-doh or a quick doodle how they are doing on their goal. Then I ask them to describe in words what their doodle is expressing. If I need to chart progress over time, I can jot down what they write for my own use. 

Whatever tool you use, progress monitoring goals with students is crucial for helping them to move toward their goals. If you’d like a free copy of my progress monitoring bar graph, you can grab that here.  What are your tips?
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Progress monitoring is important for students because it keeps them motivated and helps them to see if they are getting closer to their goal. It’s important for counselors because it helps us to see if the work we are doing is helpful for students. If we can see that the student is not, in fact, closer to meeting their goal, then we know we need to change what we are doing to help them.
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Ending the Year with Intention

5/23/2019

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The count down has begun. You know exactly how many days are left in the school year. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you check off your personal to-do list, go to every appointment you don’t have time to make in the school year, and finally catch your breath. There have been many years when I skid into the final days hanging by a thread and hope for the best. But when I’m able, and I really love myself in the fall when this happens, I end the year with intention. So what’s on my list?
The count down has begun. You know exactly how many days are left in the school year. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you check off your personal to-do list, go to every appointment you don’t have time to make in the school year, and finally catch your breath. There have been many years when I skid into the final days hanging by a thread and hope for the best. But when I’m able, and I really love myself in the fall when this happens, I end the year with intention. So what’s on my list?

You may have seen my end of the year counselor list for staying organized. All of this is important and is usually how I spend my workdays after students have ended the year. Today, I want to talk about the last month or so of school. Here’s where I focus:

Wrap Up with Students
I like to check in with students that I’ve seen in second semester and provide some closure for the work that we’ve done. I can remember sitting with a student in the filing room (something was happening in my office?? testing??) and writing out the goals she had accomplished that year, the tools she had learned for emotional regulation, and her continuing goals for the next year. She and I both walked out of that meeting with a sense of accomplishment and she could leave with a written plan to refer to over the summer. I didn’t create anything fancy, we just chatted and I made visual notes.

Check in with Teachers
The last month of school is a great time to do a super-quick check in on how things went for the year. Teachers are tired too and I don’t want to overwhelm them. At the same time, their memory might not be so fresh at the beginning of next year. If I’m able, I like to pop into grade level meetings for 5-10 minutes max to ask “what went well this year? What do you think this group of students will need next year? What do you think your upcoming students will need?” I jot down a few notes and that helps me to get an idea of planning that might be needed.

End of the Year Evaluation
When I meet with my administrator at the end of the year, I show them my national model results and generally share successes from the year. At the same time, I want to know from my administrator what they see as the most important work for the upcoming year. What are their priorities? Are there shifts we need to make in the counseling program to support the priorities of the school?

Self Reflection
I’m the worst at this one! I like to be action oriented and am often frustrated with self reflection activities. During the school year, I keep a running list of items to remember for the upcoming year. I still do this! But it's helpful to really think about what went well, what you would do differently, and what your priorities are for the next year. 

One of my favorite end of the year traditions is to wave the buses off. It's a mixture of excitement (summer!) and sadness (hope my babies are OK). What do you do to end the school year with intention? I would love to hear!



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The count down has begun. You know exactly how many days are left in the school year. You can almost feel the sun on your face as you check off your personal to-do list, go to every appointment you don’t have time to make in the school year, and finally catch your breath. There have been many years when I skid into the final days hanging by a thread and hope for the best. But when I’m able, and I really love myself in the fall when this happens, I end the year with intention. So what’s on my list?
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    Rebecca Atkins

    Welcome to my blog where I talk about all things school counselor and encourage others to Counselor Up!

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