Counselor Accents

If you are like 99% of educators right now, you may be worrying and wondering about how to do your job virtually. Take our advice and listen to this podcast episode!  Our guests, Vicki Jordan and Candace Doak, have worked as school counselors at Alabama Virtual School.  In this episode they  share their best tips for organization, connection, and overall how-to's and must-do's. &nbs...

Steve Zaharakis has created one of the best tools for school counselors. If you haven't heard of SCUTA, your life is about to be changed! Listen as Steve shares his unique background and the incredible inspiration behind SCUTA, an all in one school counseling program that will add to your success.  SCUTA collects your data, schedule, survey results, and creates instant use of time analysis re...

Michael McKnight won't admit to being an expert; however, we found him to be a treasure trove of information regarding students who have experienced trauma. He is especially passionate about how to educate educators on ways to work with students.   In this episode Mr. McKnight talks about the power of caring adults in students' lives.  He also believes in what we call "Rubber meets...

In a very timely episode, Alicia Oglesby and Rebecca Atkins discuss their book, Interrupting Racism: Equity and Social Justice in School Counseling. Their book is specifically for school counselors, as we are the "social justice advocates" according to the ASCA Ethical Standards. In this episode we talk about culturally relevant instruction at all grade levels, implicit bias, using data to support...

In an unforgettable episode, teacher and motivational speaker, Joseph Roberts, shares his personal story of overcoming obstacles and how those events have shaped him into the educator he is today. He tells us the Importance of never giving up on our students, how to build trust with students with specific things to consider for black students and people of color. Plus what is in a why bo...

No matter how long you've been a school counselor, each year is a fresh start. It's never too soon to start preparing for the upcoming school year. This episode has tips that will help you no matter how long you've been a school counselor. Our guest, Abby Cantello, talks with us about starting a school counseling program from scratch. She has tips we can all use!   Make sure you download...

Matt Eldridge travels the country speaking to educators with his organization, Certified Restraint Training, but spoiler alert: his goal in trainings is to de-escalate behavior so that restraint isn't needed.  If you're like us, you will be riveted within about 10 seconds of his story-telling.  Matt delivers practical, no nonsense ways of talking to students and defusing intense and pote...

All students and educators have experienced the loss of the traditional school year.  The sudden loss of what was expected has left many students and adults feeling a certain level of grief, whether they realize it or not.  Dr. Lena Pearlman, mental health therapist and author of Stay Here: Your Personal Journal to Staying Present, Mindful, and Grateful Every Day ,  shares ways for...

Get ready to take notes!  Steve Sharp, co-author of 50+ Tech Tools for School Counselors ,  President-elect of the Pennsylvania school counselors association, and middle school counselor, shares some tech tips with us along with a lot of laughs and school counseling wisdom.  This episode started as technology-focused, but quickly transformed into how to advocate for your program and...

Ever wondered how to clone yourself in order to be more effective? Whether you are a new counselor or a veteran counselor, Level 2 Google Certified Educator Teyanna Walker has something to teach all of us on using Google to improve our efficiency.  In this episode she walks us through using Google Classroom, explains why we should be using Google Classroom in school counseling, and tells us w...

Sandy Austin was instrumental in providing counseling services during the Columbine tragedy and the difficult years that followed.  In this episode she inspires listeners to give a purpose to the pain and shares how she did that through her program, B.I.O.N.I.C., which stands for Believe It Or Not I Care.   You can watch this episode here! Check out her website here and find out how you...

Dr. Ruby Payne prepares us for the changing face of poverty in the educational system. She discusses who's vulnerable, who will bounce back, and how to care for those in sudden need. Share this episode with your administrator and your staff.  It is a must listen to for all educators! Click here to visit Dr. Payne's Website full of resources for all educators.  You can also join a weekly...

Listen and be inspired as Bryan Pecoraro gives us step by step instructions on setting up a virtual career fair using Google Meets. Bryan was doing virtual career fairs before virtual career fairs were cool! He candidly shares things he did the first time that he DIDN'T do the next time!  We hope you'll feel empowered after this episode to launch your virtual career fair OR make your existing...

Author and School Counselor, Lisa King, gives practical ways to start a virtual career fair at your school. She shares tips from her school including dress up days, Interactive career-related games, and ideas to involve parents, students, and teachers!   Check out Lisa's webpage here. Make sure to look at her books including Be Your Own Hero , a very timely children's book that talks about th...

We realize we did an episode on self care recently, BUT that was before uncertainty hit our lives from out of nowhere.  Now with the pressure of balancing work life, homeschooling, parenting, and our own anxiety, making an EFFORT for self care is imperative.  Listen as we use the letters in the word "Effort" to talk about MORE ways you can take care of yourself during these uncertain tim...

Dr. Bryan Pearlman, author of the book,  Whatever It Takes for All Students to Succeed in School and Life , shares wisdom on what preparations we can make now to support faculty and students with increasing mental health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Dr. Pearlman is a former administrator (and self-admitted teacher at heart), therapist, and co-founder of the non-profit Distinguis...

As a parent herself, School counselor Alisha Kowsky, understood how parents have been feeling in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.  She shares with us what she implemented and the resources she has been sharing with parents and teachers to offer support.  We also discuss the website, https://wideopenschool.org/ and the incredible learning paths available to students of all ages. Alisha's p...

This season of change can be overwhelming.   In a very timely episode, Lauren Jewett, special education teacher and BLTN Teachers Fellow, shares practical tips we can use to manage anxiety.  Share this episode with your staff to help calm their stress and let them realize we are all navigating this together.   Here is a link to the article Lauren wrote for Teachers with Anxiety...

School counselor, Rachel Berogan, shares multiple distance learning resources she has created for students in her rural community.  These social emotional tools are activities students can do independently or with family members.  The activities don't require internet capabilities which ensures equitable access for all students.

Our special guest, Samantha Kobs, a school counselor and an LPC in Oklahoma, shares valuable mental health insight and practical resources that we can pass along to our students, staff, and even parents in our communities.  Add Samantha to our list of school counseling heroes!     Self care tips for virtual learning Optional Upper School Schedule Counselor Resources for Familie...

Special guest Matt Berry, Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Missouri School Counseling Association, shares incredible resources in this episode.  He talks about specific online programs, how he suggests using them, and gives wonderful wisdom about how to handle the challenges this new season brings.  Check out this jaw-dropping list that Matt compiled full of resources we can exp...

Special Guest Meredith Newlin, author of the book Captured Fireflies and veteran educator gives us step by step instructions on where to start with online school counseling during the Coronavirus school closures.  We thoroughly enjoyed this interview and made a friend for life!  We know you'll instantly love Meredith just like we did!   Here is the link to the free lesson we referen...

School is closed. What do we do now? Join us as we talk about how to navigate these uncharted waters as school counselors with no students over the next few weeks.  We recorded this through video conferencing so it looks and sounds different from other episodes.

Increasing school attendance may be the biggest goal school counselors and school administrators set.  Find out how we met and exceeded our attendance goals using fun and practical techniques you can implement immediately!  We'll talk about what one administrator said was the "greatest thing that made a difference" with attendance numbers.  Plus, as always, we laugh a lot.

In one of our most fun episodes ever we try to explain why we use games in school counseling, how we use them, and which ones are our favorites!  This episode was recorded in September, but it's still timely and needed!  We're just tell you that so you won't go out of your way to wish Kim a happy birthday since we celebrate it during this episode!