High School Counseling Conversations®

After 150 episodes without a break, I finally hit pause - and it was the best decision! But now we’re back with a mid-year check in and pep talk. Plus, I’m sharing what I learned during my three-month hiatus and how it’s brought fresh inspiration for the podcast. I’ve got lots of incredible guests lined up and plenty of actionable tips and resources coming your way in 2025! You’ll hear me share th...

Can you believe that in 150 episodes of this podcast, I've never taken a week off from releasing episodes? Well, the time has come! High School Counseling Conversations will be on an official break from November 2024-January 2025. I'll return with new episodes in February 2025. While we're on break, I invite you to enjoy previous episodes (check out my favorite playlists below!). If you have a spe...

We talk about a lot of sensitive topics as school counselors, and today is no exception. We’re taking a deep dive into child sex trafficking. Heavy, I know. But with sex trafficking happening all around us, this just might be the conversation you never knew you needed to hear. I’m joined by Krystal Nierman of Switch, an organization fighting to end sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. Krystal...

What do you do if a student tells you they’re pregnant? There’s a good chance you were asked this question during a job interview because it’s a situation that you will probably run into sooner rather than later. In fact, if you’ve been a high school counselor for any length of time, it’s highly likely that you’ve already supported pregnant students!  The truth is, you want to be prepared to...

You may not realize this, but you have a unique superpower in your role as a high school counselor! You have the ability to nurture your students and walk them through four of the most important years of their life. One practice that will help you strengthen this superpower is cultural competency. Today’s guest, Jocelynn Hubbard, is here to help us develop cultural competency at work and in our pe...

Have your students ever expressed interest in taking a gap year? A gap year is more than just time off! It’s a deliberate period to explore personal, practical, and professional interests before transitioning to post-secondary education. Under the right circumstances, and with intentional planning, a gap year could be the perfect option for some students. This is a topic we’ve never discussed on t...

When you work in a school, there are a million and one things to think about every single day. School safety is at the top of that list, and might even be one of the more intimidating parts of your job. If there was a crisis, would you know what to do? Do you have a strong grasp on what your role as a school counselor is when it comes to crisis management? Let’s talk about it! My guest today, Bran...

Have you checked your phone’s screen time lately? If you’re anything like me, you might be embarrassed about how much time you actually spend on your phone, specifically the time spent scrolling on social media. I use social media for both work and personal purposes, and I was beginning to feel like I was spending way more time on these apps than I wanted to be. So, I decided to challenge myself b...

As school counselors, we know that not all of our students are going to go to college after graduating. However, for the students who do have college in their future plans, we want to make the application process as accessible as possible. Cue: College Application Day! Hosting a College Application Day is one of the best ways that we can support students as they begin their college application jou...

Have you ever held a “Coffee with the Counselor” event at your school? This can be a great opportunity for parents to connect with counselors and other parents all while learning about a particular topic. I’ve held several “Coffee with the Counselor” events in the past, and some have been a huge hit while others didn’t quite have the turnout we’d hoped for. Along the way, I learned what logistics...

Begin with the end in mind. You've probably heard this advice before, but I want it to be your mantra this school year! One of the best things you can do at the beginning of a new school year is to plan your year. I've talked on the podcast before about using organizational tools, such as a calendar, to give you a visual of your year and showcase all the good things you're doing as a counselor. So...

Whether you’re still on summer break or have already kicked off a new school year, there’s one thing I think you need during this season: a curriculum map! While it’s very common for teachers to use this planning tool, I believe there are so many benefits for high school counselors to use it as well. In today’s episode, I’m sharing why you should create a curriculum map and how it sets you up for...

You’ve waited four episodes to listen to the last episode in our grade-level counselor series. A student’s senior year is full of ups and downs, celebratory moments, and disappointments, and a senior counselor gets to experience it all with them. My guest on today’s episode, Brittany Slagle, experienced all of this and is sharing both what she loves and where she struggles in working with seniors....

Being a school counselor allows you to form close relationships with your students and help guide them through their high school years. It’s honestly one of the best and most rewarding parts of the job, and no one believes that more than my guest, Leigh Pottle. Leigh is a high school counselor who works with all grade levels, but she is giving her perspective and insight on working with juniors sp...

We’re continuing our series on talking with different high school counselors who work with specific grade levels, and today is all about sophomores! Sophomores hold a special place in my heart because when I first started as a counselor, I worked primarily with sophomores. So, I was excited to sit down with my guest, Hannah Fain, to see how our experiences aligned and how things might have changed...

When you’re a counselor who works solely with ninth graders, your role and challenges can sometimes look different from those of other counselors working with older high school grades. No one knows this better than my guest, Felicia Carter. Working primarily with ninth graders her entire counseling career, she has gained so much knowledge through her experience and is sharing her wisdom with you a...

Before the new school year officially begins, I’m starting a new series where I’m talking with counselors from different grade levels to gather insight into their roles and the specific struggles or challenges they face with the grade level they serve. Today, I’m kicking off the series with middle school counselor Lauren Tenholder. Lauren shares what high school counselors need to know about incom...

When you’re a new high school counselor, you think you need to have a Pinterest-perfect office in order to be effective. However, your worth as a high school counselor isn’t dependent on how much stuff you have in your office or how much financial support you get from your principal, districts, or PTSA. But having a few essentials and office must-haves that you can’t live without will certainly ma...

One of the best ways I grew as a professional and leader was when I was a supervisor to high school counseling interns. Being responsible for teaching, guiding, and preparing future high school counselors was something I knew was important for the future of the field. In today's episode, I'm sharing four key things you should do as a supervisor for your counseling interns. My goal as a supervisor...

I’m always looking to find new resources and information that will be helpful tools for high school students. Whether that be career opportunities, college options, or test-taking strategies, I want to get the right resources in YOUR hands to give to your students. So when I came across Dan Heath’s podcast, "What It’s Like to Be," I knew this modern platform would be the perfect resource to provid...

As a new school counselor, we’re excited and eager to focus on students, enhance the counseling program at our school, and advocate for our role to others in the building. But being the new counselor might mean you’re working closely with veteran school counselors, formerly known as guidance counselors, who might not have the same mindset or perspective as you. So what do you do if you’re in this...

The end-of-year stress and exhaustion can bring up a lot of emotions for school counselors. And when it’s finally summer break, you have the time to stop and reflect on what you want professionally going forward. When a school year wraps, I know many school counselors ask themselves, is it time for me to move on from this? It can be hard to sift through all you’re feeling and decide what your next...

Everyone wants to feel successful in their job. But sometimes, there are certain aspects in and out of your control that contribute to you feeling hesitant to speak up, questioning your ability, or finding it difficult to create change. This occurs when psychological safety is low in the work culture, which then contributes to doubting yourself. My guest on today’s episode, Caroline Crawford, is s...

If you’ve been in the education field long enough, you know that the people you work with, encounter along your journey, and meet on the different paths in your career all shape who you are and your approach to your role. Well, I’m no exception to that philosophy. As a high school counselor, I met many fellow counselors who had an impact on my role as a school counselor and the qualities I tried t...

I know when I first started out as a school counselor, I was incredibly nervous and constantly worried about both the small and big things that would happen in this role. And while this feeling was completely normal when first starting out, I quickly realized that worrying didn’t do me any good and that I needed to focus on my job and what I knew I could do. So,...