High School Counseling Conversations®

Are you familiar with MTSS? In case you aren't, MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports. Essentially, it is a framework that helps schools be effective and efficient with how they identify and support kids who need academic, social, emotional, or college and career development support. To help us better understand this framework, I invited Dr. Jake Olsen and Dr. Peg Donohue on the podcast....

If you're a new counselor getting ready to begin your career, I'll bet you are excited and anxious to get started! I'll also bet that you're feeling some major nervous energy. That's totally normal as there is so much unknown ahead of you. Cue my brand new resource, The High School Counselor Kickstart Course! I created this course for new counselors as a way to save you time, reduce overwhelm, and...

You've just landed that new high school counseling job, or you're hoping to soon - congrats! But now you're probably thinking, what's next? Well, if you're a new high school counselor, I've got some tips for you. In this episode, we'll go over three things you absolutely don't need to worry about over the summer. As the saying goes, 'worrying doesn't take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away to...

Are you a new high school counselor, or thinking about moving to high school counseling from elementary or middle school counseling? If so, today's episode is for you. My entire counseling career has taken place solely in a high school setting, and to be honest, I can't imagine it any other way! I want to share with you what to expect as a high school counselor so that you can step into this role...

Starting your career as a high school counselor is so exciting, but it can also be overwhelming to say the least. There are certain things that are helpful to be prepared for ahead of time that you probably didn't learn in college. Hearing from counselors who have been in your shoes can make all the difference. That's why I'm taking a trip down memory lane in today's episode to share what I wish I...

I’m your high school counselor hype girl and I’m here for another pep talk! This one is for you if you’re a new (or new-ish) school counselor and want to avoid key mistakes. One of the great things about being new is that you have veteran counselors who you can learn from. If I could go back in time to my first few years of counseling, there are definitely things that I would do differently, and o...

Your school’s administration can make all the difference in your job satisfaction as a high school counselor. The experience you have in your role might look very different depending on whether or not you feel supported by your current admin. If you’re currently in a place where you don’t feel supported, this episode will be an encouragement to you that it doesn’t have to be like that! I’m excited...

Have you ever offered an idea during a team meeting only to have it shut down? Are you often nervous to try something new in your counseling program out of fear that it won't be well-received? I'm sure we've all felt this way at one point or another. As high school counselors, we can fall behind the scenes and even discount our own value. That's why I was so excited when I saw Oatly's new marketin...

The end of another school year is quickly approaching and I know that the deadline for diplomas can be so stressful. However, there are some really fun parts to graduation season too.  I always loved hyping up my seniors for their special moments, and one of the ways I did that was by hosting a Senior Decision Day. It’s a great way to celebrate your students’ next steps, whether that’s college, mi...

As a high school counselor, you know that graduation is a major milestone for your seniors, and you're feeling the pressure to help them successfully cross that finish line. It's a time filled with energy and excitement, and you want to do everything you can to celebrate your seniors and help them launch into the next chapter. But with a massive caseload and limited resources, how can you make a b...

Think back to your family dinner table conversations while you were growing up. Did the topic of finances come up, or was that kept private? For many of us, there was a lack of financial literacy talk and not many opportunities to practice real-life skills such as long-term saving and spending. Now as adults, we know how important financial education is. Financial literacy is a topic that I’m supe...

There are so many things we do as school counselors to support and impact as many students as possible. One of the best ways that you can ensure you're maximizing your reach as a high school counselor is through classroom lessons.  Maybe you're already rocking classroom lessons, or maybe you don't have that much experience in this area yet! Getting into the classrooms and doing lessons can be chal...

When I think back to when I was in high school, there are so many real-world skills that I wish we were taught. Being exposed to more conversations about career options and career readiness is one of those things. I’m sure so many of you feel the same way! Now as a school counselor, you have the opportunity to have these conversations with your students so they can explore all kinds of career opti...

If you’ve been a listener of this podcast for a while, then you know how much I encourage you to build and nurture relationships with staff members in your school building. Today we’re going to be looking at a relationship that I absolutely do not want you to miss out on, and that is one with your CTE (career and technical education) teachers. CTE teachers are truly an untapped resource in our sch...

Do you have frequent flyer students? You know the ones. They're the students that are always popping into your office or tracking you down in the hallway. I’m sure you can think of multiple high schoolers who fit this description! On one hand, you’re grateful that they find you to be a safe space at school. They trust you, and even seek you out, which is your goal after all, right? You are in this...

Did you catch last week’s episode? We talked all about the benefits of running high school counseling small groups. This week we’re continuing on the small group trend and exploring ways to get student buy-in for these groups. Deciding to move forward with small groups, and getting approval from your admin, is the first step. But then comes another challenge. How do you actually get high school st...

Between the endless paperwork, phone calls, emails, and more paperwork, there may be days when you feel like you don’t actually get to ‘do counseling’. But there’s one thing that always fills my bucket and reminds me why I love this job so much, and that’s small groups. If you haven’t quite bought into small groups yet, I have four big benefits of small groups to share with you today, and I’m conf...

Leave work at your contracted time. Don’t bring your work computer home with you. Close your door as needed for breaks. Don’t give out your cell phone number to students.  What do all of these things have in common? They’re examples of boundaries that you might be setting as a high school counselor to avoid burnout. However, as you probably know, setting boundaries with others is easier said than...

National School Counseling week is just around the corner! What does that mean to you? I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but if you’re expecting it to be a week that celebrates you, complete with Starbucks, gifts, and catered lunches, you’ll likely be very disappointed.  So what  is it all about? Well, according to  ASCA , this week is meant to highlight the role that school counselors pl...

Join the Clique Collaborative membership! Podcast:  Episode 35, Perspectives of a Charter High School Counselor Podcast:  Episode 34, Private High School Counselor Finds Wellness Passion Podcast:  Episode 33, Math Teacher Turned First-Year Public School Counselor Podcast:  Episode 7, Resetting Your School Counseling Team in the New Year Podcast:  Episode 6, Guest Interview with Emily, a Member of...

While some of you are solo school counselors, I know most of you work with teammates. With everyone having their own unique personalities and values, working in a team can come with some challenges. The beginning of a semester is the perfect time to push the reset button on team dynamics and improve things that may not be working. One element that can have a big impact on the success of your team...

If you had to think of three things that you didn't receive much training on in grad school, but has become a huge part of your job, I'll bet that parent relationships would be on the list. Working with parents of high school students is not always a walk in the park and it can really take a toll on you. While many parents are super supportive, and view you as a partner, others can be quite the op...

Let me set a scene for you. You're at work. It's 2:00 and you haven't sat down all day, haven't had a chance to unpack your bag from that morning, and yet you still haven't checked anything off of your to-do list. Sound familiar? I'm sure it does! As school counselors we are hit with emergencies, pop-up meetings, and so many other things that take us away from our original plans. While all of thes...

The relationship between high school counselors and administrators is an important one. You often work closely together supporting students and their families. However, both of you juggle  very  busy schedules, so how do you stay on the same page in terms of communication and collaboration? It's a delicate dance, but it is possible! Today I'm giving you some personal examples of three admin relati...

Walking into a school counselor interview can be super intimidating, especially if it's with the hopes of landing your very first school counseling job. How many people will be in the interview? What questions will they ask? What if you totally blank and can't come up with an answer? These are all really valid and normal concerns. That's why I'm here with guest and fellow school counselor, Rachel...