School Counseling Simplified Podcast

One thing that counselors always ask me is how are they possibly going to squeeze in all the things they have to do. It can be incredibly overwhelming! But I have found a way that you can look at what needs to be done, streamline your day, and make the impact we know you can make!         Summer is the perfect time to step back and take a look at how you can be most effective next school year. One...

If you've ever had a student who struggled with separation anxiety and cried as they got out of the car, you likely wished you had some strategies you could use to help the student. As counselors (and mothers), a lot of us have experience with children who struggle with separation anxiety and could really use some practical tips to help when our kiddos are having a hard time. That is why I am so g...

Trauma affects everybody, not just certain communities. It is so incredibly important that school counselors are able to support our students who have experienced trauma in positive and impactful ways. Knowing how to best support our students who have childhood trauma can be challenging and I am so glad that Joyce Harduvel is joining me today to share some incredible insight on helping these kiddo...

Books are an incredibly powerful tool, especially when it comes to counseling. They allow for students to relate to the characters, help them to find solutions to problems, and so much more! Our guest today, Laura Filtness is a self-proclaimed book nerd who has found amazing ways to incorporate books into her counseling to help students be more engaged and excited about her lessons.         Laura...

You know I am all about simplifying your job as a school counselor and helping you to make the best use of your time. We can all benefit from more tips and tricks to maximizing our productivity in the little amount of time we have without students. That is why I am so excited to have efficiency and productivity expert, Khristen Massic joining me today!           Khristen Massic, M.Ed., loves effic...

You know I am super passionate about data and I LOVE a good end of the year report! There is so much data that you can put on your end of the year report to show your stakeholders just how big of an impact you are making. You know the importance of including how many students you served, time spent with students, and how many lessons you taught to the  report, but today, I am sharing 5 things to a...

Our days as school counselors are busy! Regardless of what grades we work with, how many students are on our caseload, or how perfectly planned our schedule is, school counselors have a lot on our plates. My guest today, Laurel Whitehead, is giving us a glimpse into what her days look like as a 6-8 school counselor.           Laurel is making a huge impact on her middle school students! She starts...

How can we gather student progress data in an efficient and helpful way? We've talked about tracking how many students we see and how many hours we've served them, but an equally important piece of data is how students have progressed or not progressed after services. In today's episode, I am sharing two ways that you can measure and track student progress data.           You know I love, love, lo...

Where has this year gone? The school year is wrapping up shortly which means that it is a great time to dive into your data and use it to advocate for your role. If the thought of collecting and looking at data seems overwhelming to you, don't fret! In this episode, I am sharing two tools that I recommend using to easily track services provided.         I absolutely love helping you use data to ad...

Have you heard of an advisory program before? It's similar to implementing a school wide SEL program and is so beneficial to our students! Leslie Cuprill of Informed Decisions is joining us today to share all about starting an advisory program in your school. Whether you've considered starting an advisory program at your school or you aren't even sure what an advisory program is, Leslie has some i...

I have some EXCITING news! We've recently surpassed 300,000 downloads of the School Counseling Simplified podcast! I can't believe it!  I want to give a big thank you to YOU for listening to this show by doing a giveaway. I'm giving 30 counselors 30% off of my IMPACT school counseling membership for 3 months! The offer will expire after the first 30 people use the code 'podcast' at checkout. Head...

Have you considered providing mini PD to your teachers? You might be thinking that there is no way you are getting in front of your colleagues and teaching something. I completely understand that! But you can still support your teachers by providing easy PD for them about SEL strategies and counseling strategies that they can do in their classrooms.         Wouldn't it be great if you could help m...

School counselors come from all sorts of backgrounds and it is so interesting to hear how their previous roles play into their role as a school counselor! Making the transition to school counseling can be a process that takes time or, like for our guest Stephanie Hubbard, can be fairly quick. Stephanie is joining us today to talk all about how she got her job as a school counselor intern before sh...

Teachers are experiencing burnout at an alarming rate but we as school counselors may be able to help. We know that our students are best served when school counselors, teachers, and parents are collaborating together and that is one of the reasons supporting our teachers is so crucial for student success. In this episode, I am sharing some ways that we as school counselors can support our teacher...

Are you needing some motivation and inspiration from another school counselor? We are continuing our birthday celebration with another counselor interview and our guest today is sure to leave you inspired to make big impacts at your school! Carey Hughes is sharing all about her role as an elementary school counselor and giving some helpful tips along the way.           Carey has always wanted to w...

No school counselor role looks exactly the same and I absolutely love hearing from different school counselors about how they organize their days and the impact that they are making! Plus, We all know that there are parts we love about being a school counselor and parts we find challenging and it is so reassuring to hear that we are not alone. As we continue our "Day in the Life" series , Lorilee...

Every school counselor's role is unique based on their school, on their district, and so many other factors. Sometimes, a school doesn't have a counselor and another staff member steps up to support students who need the support of a school counselor. Dr. Natasha Tumbarello is joining us today and sharing how she wears many hats, including the school counselor hat, in her role as a school psycholo...

Whether you are a new school counselor or have been one for years, it's always great to hear from other school counselors. To celebrate 2 years of IMPACT, we will be hearing from IMPACT members every week in March. I know hearing from these school counselors will leave you feeling inspired!          Aimee Garcia is joining us today to share what her role as a school counselor looks like. She is sh...

Just how important is it to have healthy meals as a busy school counselor? We hear about eating healthy all the time but making sure our bodies and minds are properly nourished helps us to maximize our productivity and just feel good! If you're not sure where to start when planning out nourishing lunches, dietician Sandra Gentleman is here to help!       Who doesn't love a good treat in the teache...

All students are bound to have conflicts at some point or another. It is so important that our kiddos know how to resolve conflicts in a respectful manner because it's a skill they will use while in school and carry through life.         Today, I am sharing how we can teach conflict resolution skills across all three tiers so our students are prepared when conflict arises.         Handling conflic...

As school counselors, it seems we never have enough time to do all the things we want to do. Meeting with students, putting on programs and activities, being in meetings, and all the other duties that are put on us spread us so thin. I am so grateful that Rhea Parks is joining us today to share about how she is managing everything on her plate as a second year counselor. If you are feeling worn ou...

February brings so many fun things for school counselors including National School Counseling Week and Valentine's Day! One thing I love to cover in the month of February is healthy relationships and friendships and this ties in great with Valentine's Day. If you are looking for some fun ways to combine the Valentine's theme with healthy relationships, you're in luck! I have so many fun ideas for...

Do you work in a Title 1 school or support low income students and families? Working in a low income school can come with unique challenges and supporting these students and families may look a little different. It is so important to understand each unique student and family and find ways to best support them.         Today we are joined by Megan Polk who is sharing some amazing tips she has learn...

Are you finding that you are feeling burned out or that your mindset just isn't great right now? Our mindset and thoughts impact us more than we realize. If you aren't loving your job or are feeling overwhelmed, a mindset shift may make a huge difference! Luckily, there are things we can do to improve our mindset which may lead to rediscovering our love for our job and reducing overwhelm.        ...

Looking to feel inspired as we take on the second half of the school year? I am so excited to start having current school counselors on the podcast more often so you can hear what they are implementing at their schools. Jessica Weinberg Zeff is joining us today to talk about her role as a 3rd year school counselor and what it's like being an IMPACT member.       I absolutely love hearing about wha...