Avoiding Paper and Pencil Pitfalls in Your School Counseling Office

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:02.645
Hello there, school counselor.

00:00:02.645 --> 00:00:04.708
Hey, let me ask you something.

00:00:04.708 --> 00:00:15.753
When is the last time that you handed a student a worksheet and then walked away going, wow, that made such a huge difference.

00:00:15.753 --> 00:00:31.533
Now think about this You're sitting with a student who struggles with reading Maybe they struggle with communication or some sensory overload and you hand them another worksheet.

00:00:31.533 --> 00:00:42.603
You might be unintentionally shutting the door on the very progress that you're trying to make, but don't worry, you're certainly not the only one.

00:00:42.603 --> 00:00:54.372
Today, we're going to pull back the curtain on why worksheets aren't the miracle tool we've been led to believe, especially when we're working with students who have special needs.

00:00:54.372 --> 00:00:59.091
And, more importantly, we're going to talk about what really works.

00:00:59.091 --> 00:01:06.593
So let's rethink our toolkits for students and dive into what's truly best practice.

00:01:07.501 --> 00:01:15.308
Now, before we start, I would love to read a review from Shanice Tett, and she titled her review the Right Stuff.

00:01:15.308 --> 00:01:22.180
The review goes on to say this Steph takes school counseling and makes it relatable, real and thought-provoking.

00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:26.807
And makes it relatable, real and thought-provoking With an honest assessment of this profession.

00:01:26.807 --> 00:01:30.552
I have never felt more seen and heard.

00:01:30.552 --> 00:01:37.819
This, along with the mastermind, has allowed me to become a better counselor and leader to other counselors.

00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:41.730
Do yourself a favor and listen to this podcast.

00:01:41.730 --> 00:01:44.849
It was the best decision I made.

00:01:44.849 --> 00:01:48.963
Shanice, thank you so much for that wonderful review.

00:01:48.963 --> 00:01:59.311
It means so much to me and to my team, and we're just flabbergasted that people are willing to spend a few minutes to say some kind words about the podcast.

00:01:59.311 --> 00:02:07.623
If you'd like for me to share your review on the podcast, head on over to your podcast player of choice, whether that's Apple or Spotify.

00:02:07.623 --> 00:02:13.401
Rate us with five shiny gold stars and then tell us what you think of the podcast.

00:02:13.401 --> 00:02:15.004
We'd love to hear your thoughts.

00:02:15.004 --> 00:02:19.633
All right, so back to the topic at hand.

00:02:20.313 --> 00:02:24.770
You know we're torn in a million different directions each and every day.

00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:42.342
Right, we're in hyperdrive all day long and we are working to not only make significant impacts for students but to reach as many students as we possibly can, and because of that, we are usually looking for things that are quick and things that are effective.

00:02:42.342 --> 00:02:54.883
Right, and worksheets or printables seem to be the perfect solution to that problem, because they're neat, they're organized, they're easy to print and hand out.

00:02:54.883 --> 00:03:15.931
But the uncomfortable truth about these resources is that, while they may feel like they're an effective catch-all for the things that you're dealing with throughout your day, those sheets can actually work against you, especially when you're working with some of our most vulnerable students.

00:03:15.931 --> 00:03:59.876
If we think about a dyslexic student who struggles with text, dyslexic student who struggles with text, or a student with autism that struggles to relate to abstract feelings on paper, or an anxious student whose mind just keeps racing and racing and they can't settle down to focus on a written task, these students need more than just a one-size-fits-all approach, and so we're going to look into the details on why those trusty little sheets may be doing more harm than good and causing more work for you in the long run.

00:03:59.876 --> 00:04:26.521
But here's the great news Beyond breaking down why these may not be working, we're also going to talk about what does work the tangible, research-backed strategies that will help you engage your students in more meaningful ways than just on paper just on paper.

00:04:26.521 --> 00:04:34.665
So if you're ready to shake up your school counseling program and you're ready to give individualized support, you want to stick with me here, because we are going to get very, very intentional in the conversation.

00:04:36.610 --> 00:05:00.949
I remember once early in my school counseling career, I was working with a young lady who felt a tremendous sense of responsibility within her family and she would go above and beyond out of her way to take care of things at home that really weren't necessarily her responsibilities, and her parents were sort of baffled by it.

00:05:00.949 --> 00:05:16.166
The student was feeling stressed and overwhelmed and we'd really kind of been working on how to address that problem, because not only was it present at home, but it had started to trickle in and affect her ability to perform at school.

00:05:16.166 --> 00:05:29.266
So we had done all of the things that I'd been taught to do in my counseling program and I was relying on the things that people online were telling me should work, and nothing really seemed to land.

00:05:29.266 --> 00:05:37.630
It was just like we kept going over the same information day after day and it really wasn't sinking in.

00:05:37.630 --> 00:05:45.992
And the student would say yeah, yeah, I understand, I see what you're saying, or you know, I recognize that, but she wasn't able to change.

00:05:45.992 --> 00:05:49.529
There was something missing and I couldn't figure out what it was.

00:05:51.074 --> 00:05:58.571
One day, on a whim, I saw an empty backpack in the closet in my office and I thought you know, I bet I can use that.

00:05:58.571 --> 00:06:02.444
So the next time the student came in my office I said let's do something different.

00:06:02.444 --> 00:06:09.192
Here's a stack of sticky notes and a Sharpie, because you know, those students love to write with those Sharpies.

00:06:09.192 --> 00:06:17.072
Take this Sharpie and write down all of the responsibilities that you feel you should take care of in your day.

00:06:17.072 --> 00:06:29.024
So she wrote on a stack of sticky notes and she probably had eight or nine really heavy topics on her sticky notes, things that felt like heavy responsibilities for her.

00:06:29.024 --> 00:06:33.521
So we pulled those out and I started pulling books off my bookshelf.

00:06:33.521 --> 00:06:47.747
I wasn't aiming for the big ones, I was just pulling them off, you know, from the end all the way down the line, and I would put a sticky note on the book and I would say, okay, here's this responsibility taking care of little brother after school and I would put it in the back.

00:06:47.747 --> 00:06:51.783
And then I would take another sticky note here's this responsibility.

00:06:51.783 --> 00:06:54.430
And I would put it in the backpack.

00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:59.386
And over and over and over again, we put sticky notes on all the books, put them in the backpack.

00:06:59.386 --> 00:07:10.908
And then I said, hey, so now put it on, put the backpack on your back and see and feel the weight of all of these responsibilities that you've chosen for yourself.

00:07:10.908 --> 00:07:33.487
And she put the backpack on and it was undeniable the way her face changed and she looked at me and she said I've been carrying around a lot and I said, yes, you sure have the paper-pencil approach, the drawing diagrams was not speaking to her.

00:07:33.487 --> 00:07:45.533
She needed something different and I think so often we have students just like that all over our campuses that need something more than a.

00:07:51.130 --> 00:08:05.067
You know, paper-based activities have been promoted as very simple, very low prep and that you can use them for emotional regulation, social skills, problem solving, cognitive, behavioral exercises.

00:08:05.067 --> 00:08:09.341
And they are nice in that they're convenient.

00:08:09.341 --> 00:08:12.954
It doesn't take a lot of time to print one of those suckers out.

00:08:12.954 --> 00:08:31.637
It doesn't take a lot of time to print one of those suckers out, and when you don't have a planning period, when you have all of these responsibilities, you can quickly print it out, hand it to the student and it feels like it's an answer to a prayer when your time is scarce and when you want to engage students and you really want to be structured.

00:08:31.637 --> 00:08:47.119
I think, too, these paper-based activities have caught a lot of people's attention because it reduces our cognitive load when we're working through things like conflict resolution or problem solving.

00:08:47.119 --> 00:08:53.014
Those activities outline step-by-step processes, don't they?

00:08:53.014 --> 00:08:59.758
Identify the problem, brainstorm the solutions, try implementing a solution and reflect on the possible outcomes.

00:08:59.758 --> 00:09:04.878
We don't have to work as hard when it's on paper, right in front of us.

00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:23.912
And two, I will say I think a lot of school counselors lack the confidence to be able to embark on a lot of different kinds of counseling interventions all in one day, flying by the seat of their pants, without any sort of reference materials or resources.

00:09:23.912 --> 00:09:30.196
That seems to scare the pants off of a lot of school counselors that I talk to and we need to change that.

00:09:30.196 --> 00:09:34.471
That's what we're working on doing in our School for School Counselors Mastermind.

00:09:34.471 --> 00:09:47.475
You know this conversation is making me think about the feelings worksheets, where you know you have common emotions on the sheet and you have to circle or color in how you're feeling.

00:09:47.475 --> 00:10:01.032
I think the idea is to be very straightforward and still give a guided way for expressing themselves when students are struggling to verbalize their thoughts or perhaps when the counselor is struggling with the idea of open-ended discussion about the topic.

00:10:02.134 --> 00:10:08.323
And I don't want this to sound belittling because I don't think that's it.

00:10:08.323 --> 00:10:15.085
I know that our field is filled with amazing, smart, dynamic school counselors.

00:10:15.085 --> 00:10:20.559
So please don't take away me saying, well, you just you don't know enough to do your job without worksheets.

00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:22.552
That that is not my message.

00:10:22.552 --> 00:10:36.251
My message is I think we fly so fast and our industry tells us over and over and over again get these resources, they'll make your life simpler that we just kind of buy into it.

00:10:36.251 --> 00:10:47.539
Right, we're too tired to argue, we don't want to have to think and learn and grow after work hours because we're just so spent by four or five o'clock right.

00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:52.433
So this is no shade on anybody, but it is something that we need to be talking about.

00:10:53.174 --> 00:10:57.980
A lot of these worksheets, too, will claim to be aligned with standards.

00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:14.101
They'll claim to be aligned with the ASCA national model, with the ASCA mindsets and behaviors, and so if we see that, then we think, oh, okay, so this thing is somewhat vetted, not realizing anybody can say that about anything that they make.

00:11:14.101 --> 00:11:18.110
Not realizing anybody can say that about anything that they make.

00:11:18.110 --> 00:11:26.221
All they have to do is find one piece within those expectations and apply that word to the resource and say, yeah, it's aligned with this.

00:11:26.221 --> 00:11:31.234
I've shared with you before in a past episode that teachers pay teachers.

00:11:31.534 --> 00:11:43.743
Resources in the peer-reviewed literature are showing abysmal results, and some of the findings on those resources are downright scary for our students.

00:11:43.743 --> 00:11:51.124
You can go back and reference episode 114 in your podcast player.

00:11:51.124 --> 00:11:56.582
It's back in, I believe at the end of August.

00:11:56.582 --> 00:12:03.000
The episode was called Are Yours Legit the Uncomfortable Truth About School Counseling Resources.

00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:07.881
So go check that out if you want to be more a part of that conversation.

00:12:09.049 --> 00:12:34.864
But research tells us Shelton and Archambault 2019, among others, tell us that usually when they say they're aligned, they really aren't that these resources are not rigorously tested for effectiveness, particularly when we're talking about working with students in special population contexts working with students in special population contexts.

00:12:34.864 --> 00:12:47.475
So they may be quick and easy, they may be really cute, but their quality and the appropriateness for the diversity of needs that you see on your campus may not hit the mark.

00:12:47.475 --> 00:12:58.438
And again, shelton and Archibald say that these kinds of inconsistencies really raise concerns about long-term educational outcomes.

00:12:58.438 --> 00:13:07.960
When we rely heavily on these kinds of resources, we can't be assured that we're going to be able to help students make the gains they need to make.

00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:24.312
And when we think about it that way, we really start to realize that the more of these unvetted, untested resources that we're using in our school counseling program, the more work we may be intentionally creating for ourselves.

00:13:25.535 --> 00:13:43.823
I have said before and I will say again it amazes me, especially in the school counseling world, where we are so invested in evidence base and data both of which we should be invested in that we're not publishing those kinds of information on TPT resources.

00:13:43.823 --> 00:13:45.792
Now, teachers Pay.

00:13:45.792 --> 00:13:52.254
Teachers doesn't require that, but it doesn't mean nobody can step up and say, hey, I'm going to do this anyway.

00:13:52.254 --> 00:14:11.576
Let me gather a focus group, let me get a group of 20 or 30 school counselors, let me have them deploy this and let me have them show me their real-time data, and then I can publish that alongside of my resource and really be able to show that it might be worth working with.

00:14:11.576 --> 00:14:13.899
But y'all, no one's done that.

00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:17.110
No one's done that, and I get that it's extra work.

00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:18.614
I get that it's extra time.

00:14:18.614 --> 00:14:34.158
It sounds like a nightmare to coordinate all that, but at the end of the day, if we don't have some of that boots on the ground, action, research going on, we literally have nothing to prove the effectiveness of these materials.

00:14:34.158 --> 00:14:51.024
I think, too, we are drawn to these kinds of things because when we're doing like group counseling or we're doing guidance lessons, it feels efficient for our time in prep and for engaging lots of students at the same time.

00:14:51.024 --> 00:14:52.994
So that feels good.

00:14:52.994 --> 00:14:55.181
We feel like we're doing what we should be doing.

00:14:55.181 --> 00:15:22.783
Now I will say again and I feel like I really need to bring this point home A lot of people have gotten very upset with me in the past when I've talked about TPT resources, about being very careful about the things that we're using, and I have had people tell me things like how dare you tell me that I can't make good judgments about my materials?

00:15:23.630 --> 00:15:31.311
How dare you downplay my education and my expertise as a school counselor and y'all?

00:15:31.311 --> 00:15:39.100
This is not to do any of those things, but it is to get you thinking more critically about the resources that you're using.

00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:58.441
If you go online in any of most of the school counseling groups on the planet, you see people talking about printable resources, and there's a really important piece of the conversation that no one talks about when we're looking at these things, and that is most of those.

00:15:58.441 --> 00:16:02.615
Social media groups were created by the people that are creating those resources.

00:16:02.615 --> 00:16:08.971
They create these entrepreneurial ventures on Teachers, pay Teachers.

00:16:08.971 --> 00:16:20.003
They start Facebook groups to generate buzz and conversation, and then they want to be able to post about their resources by getting you on their email list or something like that.

00:16:20.003 --> 00:16:27.576
I don't think a day goes by that I don't get an email from somebody asking me to buy their resource, and no shade there y'all.

00:16:27.750 --> 00:16:42.724
No shame in the hustle game at all, but we need to make sure that, as we are being deluged with these kinds of messages, that we are intentional about where and how we're using these materials and what we're selecting.

00:16:42.724 --> 00:16:58.039
Now, this month we are talking about on the podcast, special student populations, how we can better serve them and meet their needs, because next month that's exactly what we're going to be focusing on every day in that's exactly what we're going to be focusing on every day in our mastermind.

00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:08.624
We're going to be talking through the ins and outs of special populations, the things that maybe you didn't learn in grad school, and some better, more effective ways to address those populations.

00:17:08.624 --> 00:17:39.247
Those are typically groups of students that we don't get a lot of experience with before we get out on our own, and they're tied up in lots of legislative mandates, laws, statutes, expectations that we don't understand, and it's this tangled mess of mandates that we're not really sure how to navigate, and so sometimes it's easier just to kind of put our heads down and pretend it's not happening at all or just to say Matt, these kids are just like everybody else.

00:17:39.247 --> 00:17:41.211
I know how to counsel people.

00:17:41.211 --> 00:17:44.999
I know how to counsel anybody, so I can counsel them too.

00:17:44.999 --> 00:17:52.061
And that may very well be true, but a lot of it depends on which resources you're selecting for use.

00:17:53.612 --> 00:17:55.276
I mentioned at the top of the episode.

00:17:55.276 --> 00:17:57.281
Think about your dyslexic students.

00:17:57.281 --> 00:18:06.349
If you have a student who struggles with reading and writing, why would we put a paper in front of them that requires them to read and write?

00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:18.798
We want to reduce their mental and emotional load, not add to it, right, but I've never, ever heard a discussion in the school counseling world about reducing the cognitive load for dyslexic students.

00:18:18.798 --> 00:18:21.767
Think about students with ADHD.

00:18:21.767 --> 00:18:29.492
If we're sitting down and having to focus on a structured worksheet, that could very well cause them to disengage, right?

00:18:29.492 --> 00:18:31.377
Their brains are not wired for that.

00:18:31.377 --> 00:18:58.974
Or we may be oversimplifying social-emotional challenges for our autistic students, who tend to see things in black and white anyway, and here we are providing a worksheet that is reinforcing those ideas, instead of perhaps getting into some interventions or some activities that expose the student to nuance and how to read and interpret those in their day-to-day life.

00:19:00.438 --> 00:19:13.380
Raven, blakely, smith and Hepburn 2015 have a lot of information about using individualized approaches for more effective interventions with students in special populations.

00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:29.435
And it's true, because those kinds of things can help you account for the unique needs, their abilities, the circumstances of each student, the way they see the world and truly what they want to accomplish.

00:19:29.435 --> 00:19:41.854
Chavits and Chavits 2005 found that traditional literacy-based tasks can significantly hinder progress for dyslexic learners.

00:19:41.854 --> 00:19:45.800
They need some more multi-sensory approaches.

00:19:45.800 --> 00:19:54.721
They also said heavy reading and writing is going to exacerbate frustration rather than improve emotional regulation.

00:19:54.721 --> 00:19:59.094
So we're going backwards with this and we're making our jobs harder.

00:19:59.094 --> 00:20:18.834
Raven Blakely Smith, colleen Shetburn and Hepburn in 2012 found that generalized strategies like these generic feelings worksheets or they cited also social skills group activities fail to recognize the nuances of students' unique triggers.

00:20:18.834 --> 00:20:23.364
They also don't recognize the student's developmental stage.

00:20:23.364 --> 00:20:29.576
Sometimes our special population kids are either above or behind that developmental curve.

00:20:29.576 --> 00:20:53.416
Hammond 2015 also asserts that many paper-based activities assume a Eurocentric or a mainstream cultural perspective, so they may not resonate with all students and the information may not actually be accessible to all students.

00:20:53.416 --> 00:21:10.539
We can do better through individualized, culturally responsive approaches to improve not only the student's engagement with the material but also their outcome, and we need to be thinking about this as we are designing interventions.

00:21:11.942 --> 00:21:18.830
So what do we do interventions?

00:21:18.830 --> 00:21:19.292
So what do we do?

00:21:19.292 --> 00:21:25.132
We have all of this information about the caveats and dangers of using these print and pray activities, especially when we're working with students in special pops.

00:21:25.132 --> 00:21:27.718
So what do we do instead?

00:21:27.718 --> 00:21:40.361
Because I imagine you're sitting there thinking, hey, steph, this is all well and good, but I don't have time to sit down and intentionally design an intervention for every single student that walks in my office.

00:21:40.361 --> 00:21:42.432
I would never get anything done.

00:21:42.432 --> 00:21:45.298
I don't have that kind of time on my hands.

00:21:45.298 --> 00:21:53.583
Well, the good news is, if you are well-versed in some basic categories of interventions, you're going to be just fine.

00:21:53.583 --> 00:22:03.939
As a matter of fact, you're going to be better than fine because you're going to be able to deploy experiences for kids that are actually going to move the needle.

00:22:05.601 --> 00:22:14.836
For students who struggle with traditional paper-based activities, maybe we should be looking at some sensory-based intervention.

00:22:14.836 --> 00:22:17.044
For example.

00:22:17.044 --> 00:22:23.523
What about sand tray therapy, students with trauma, students with anxiety?

00:22:23.523 --> 00:22:31.134
Letting them express emotions and work through problems in a non-verbal way.

00:22:31.134 --> 00:22:35.307
Let them use the symbolism to tell the story.

00:22:35.307 --> 00:22:41.223
Especially if students struggle to verbalize their thoughts or verbalize their feelings.

00:22:41.223 --> 00:22:46.981
This is going to be very, very powerful for them and I can attest personally to this.

00:22:46.981 --> 00:23:26.260
I worked on a campus once with an extremely high student trauma population and it made sense because we served two large facilities that were foster home facilities and so students had a lot of unresolved trauma in their lives and they did struggle to verbalize their thoughts and feelings because for so long safety was in staying quiet and we would often go to the sand tray and it would be amazing the load that would come off their shoulders when they got done building their tray Super, super awesome.

00:23:26.260 --> 00:23:36.931
If you want some more resources, look into some resources such as the ones by Hohmeyer and Sweeney, very, very knowledgeable and educated in sand tray therapy.

00:23:36.931 --> 00:23:48.067
Go get a little bit of training in that, just so you kind of have a feel for where you're going, because it's not just playing in the sand, it's not just raking through it, it's not that kind of sensory experience.

00:23:48.067 --> 00:23:56.905
True, sand play therapy activities are completely different, so you're going to want to know what you're doing before you jump in, but that's definitely a wonderful option.

00:23:58.128 --> 00:24:00.133
What about some art-based techniques?

00:24:00.133 --> 00:24:05.967
What about allowing students to creatively express themselves through art?

00:24:05.967 --> 00:24:11.375
Now you're probably thinking I do that a lot, but do you really?

00:24:11.375 --> 00:24:21.942
Crayons and paper markers and things like that are one thing, but are you truly giving them a different experience?

00:24:21.942 --> 00:24:24.647
Are you getting out the paint sticks?

00:24:24.647 --> 00:24:27.760
Do you have the quick sticks in your office?

00:24:27.760 --> 00:24:30.788
If you don't have a set of those, you need to go to Amazon right now and get some.

00:24:30.788 --> 00:24:32.153
They are magical.

00:24:32.153 --> 00:24:34.487
Do you have some watercolors?

00:24:34.487 --> 00:24:36.846
Do you have some paint markers?

00:24:36.846 --> 00:24:37.509
Things like that?

00:24:37.509 --> 00:24:45.385
What can you do to really bring that experience to life, above and beyond what they're already doing in the classroom?

00:24:45.385 --> 00:24:48.729
Or third, what about movement activities?

00:24:48.729 --> 00:24:52.300
The classroom?

00:24:52.300 --> 00:25:00.282
Or third, what about movement activities, especially for students who are hyperactive, who have attention issues or who struggle with some of like the interoception and proprioception?

00:25:00.845 --> 00:25:17.972
Now, we're not occupational therapists, but we can still provide some of those experiences, and things like learning to manage yoga poses, learning to follow a simple movement sequence, can have profound effects for our students.

00:25:17.972 --> 00:25:41.946
One of the greatest privileges of my life was leading a movement therapy group for students with developmental disabilities group for students with developmental disabilities, and it was amazing to see what movement did for students and helping them better regulate, not only within the group but when they were out and about trying to mainstream in public education.

00:25:41.946 --> 00:25:47.285
The parents would come back all the time and tell me what a significant impact that was having.

00:25:47.285 --> 00:25:52.193
Look into some of the yoga card decks you can get.

00:25:52.193 --> 00:25:53.605
They're fun just to practice.

00:25:53.605 --> 00:25:56.567
You can challenge the kids how long can you hold this pose?

00:25:56.567 --> 00:25:57.904
Can you beat me?

00:25:57.904 --> 00:26:01.470
Or look into some things like brain dance.

00:26:01.470 --> 00:26:08.349
You can find some videos on YouTube about that and those are some simple, fun sequences that you can do together.

00:26:08.349 --> 00:26:16.173
You can turn on some music and really make it an event, but those can be so powerful with the students so you should try them.

00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:36.511
Some textured materials I once worked with a counselor who had a box of lentils in her office and students just loved that sensory, tactile experience.

00:26:36.511 --> 00:26:38.837
Can you provide that instead?

00:26:38.837 --> 00:26:49.723
Can you use those materials in a way that still allow you to have the same kinds of conversations you would have been having through paper and pencil, but without the paper and pencil?

00:26:49.723 --> 00:26:58.810
Can you modify some of your CBT interventions that are likely on paper into some other modalities?

00:26:58.810 --> 00:27:19.390
Can you present them through interactive stories, maybe some interactive social stories, maybe using some props or some toys to really immerse students in situations, to really act those out and prepare and rehearse for when they happen in the real world?

00:27:19.390 --> 00:27:26.153
This is one of my most favorite interventions with students and I'm sure it's because of my performing arts background.

00:27:26.153 --> 00:27:38.925
But I just find it so powerful for students, once they've rehearsed and they have in mind what can happen next or what they can say, it's amazing how much ownership they can take in the next steps.

00:27:40.148 --> 00:27:42.476
Along the same lines, what about role-playing?

00:27:42.476 --> 00:27:55.653
Maybe you have some props, maybe you have some puppets or some masks or things like that where you can get really creative but still process the emotional aspects of the situations.

00:27:55.653 --> 00:27:57.988
What about video self-modeling?

00:27:57.988 --> 00:28:07.608
What about you role play and you practice the response and then you let students watch themselves completing that task?

00:28:07.608 --> 00:28:16.308
It's only going to reinforce their actions and decisions in the rehearsal so that when it comes down to brass tacks, they're ready to go.

00:28:17.832 --> 00:28:21.268
Or what about some of the therapeutic games you have in your office?

00:28:21.268 --> 00:28:26.001
Are you leaning on those for the processing value they can bring?

00:28:26.001 --> 00:28:34.932
So not only just playing Uno as a stress reliever or getting to know you activity, but how can we modify games to really make them work?

00:28:34.932 --> 00:28:42.348
Playing things like the un-game with lots of discussion and interaction can be really cool.

00:28:42.348 --> 00:28:45.094
Mad Dragon is a favorite in my office.

00:28:45.094 --> 00:28:52.684
It's a lot like Uno, but it gives us the opportunity to talk through coping strategies for anger, those kinds of things.

00:28:53.185 --> 00:29:03.650
According to Pels and Kleinert 2016, they're tremendous in helping students self-affirm, and so let's lean on those resources.

00:29:03.650 --> 00:29:13.319
I bet you already have some in your office, but just think about different ways that you can use the same resources your office, but just think about different ways that you can use the same resources.

00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:22.230
So I hope that gives you some ideas of some non-paper-pencil things that you can try in assisting your students in taking on their challenges at school.

00:29:22.230 --> 00:29:37.941
When we do this, we need to take care that if we have a student in a special population particularly if they're in special education or 504, make sure that we're looking at their IEP, make sure that we're aware of the goals.

00:29:37.941 --> 00:29:50.432
It doesn't necessarily mean we have to work on those that that's not within our scope of responsibilities but we can reinforce them and we can create activities that align with those specific needs.

00:29:50.432 --> 00:30:02.390
In the same mindset, you could look at the student's behavior intervention plan, their BIP, to see what skills they seem to be lacking and choose some activities that can reinforce those.

00:30:02.390 --> 00:30:06.108
At the same time that maybe you're reinforcing something else on your end.

00:30:06.108 --> 00:30:16.634
It's really, really cool when all that starts to sync and work together and then we start to see some tremendous growth in our kiddos Also, too.

00:30:16.634 --> 00:30:39.479
Let me mention one more time just the importance of being culturally responsive and trauma-informed in the activities that we're presenting to students, making sure that we're acknowledging backgrounds and that we're acknowledging experiences of students with special needs, who can be marginalized, who can suffer microaggressions in the classroom.

00:30:39.479 --> 00:30:51.448
Right, we need to make sure that we are addressing those as we're building relationships, as we're building skills and as we are helping them move forward to their best selves.

00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:58.690
All right, so to recap, critically evaluate your school counseling toolkit.

00:30:58.690 --> 00:31:04.064
Are your resources and activities predominantly worksheet-based?

00:31:04.064 --> 00:31:12.707
Are your materials aligned with your students' needs specifically, or are they just convenient one-size-fits-all solutions?

00:31:12.707 --> 00:31:18.992
And consider your students' engagement levels with your current interventions.

00:31:18.992 --> 00:31:21.749
Are students actively participating?

00:31:21.749 --> 00:31:27.050
Are you seeing growth or do they seem disengaged and frustrated?

00:31:27.050 --> 00:31:31.971
Are they feeling hindered due to their unique learning needs?

00:31:31.971 --> 00:31:34.082
Just ask them.

00:31:34.082 --> 00:31:35.727
Ask them how do you feel about this?

00:31:35.727 --> 00:31:38.561
Do you like this or would you rather do something else?

00:31:38.561 --> 00:31:41.028
Because I promise they will tell you.

00:31:42.614 --> 00:31:56.994
Consider some of the alternative approaches we talked through sensory-based interventions, non-paper-based cognitive behavior approaches or sensory interventions, some role play and therapeutic game playing.

00:31:56.994 --> 00:32:07.227
The sky is the limit with this, and once you start to really learn and grow as a practitioner, you're going to discover that you don't need any of these print and pray things.

00:32:07.227 --> 00:32:12.465
You already have probably everything you need already in your office ready to go.

00:32:12.465 --> 00:32:23.410
So I hope by now you're seeing these paper pencil activities in a different way, whether they've been your go-to or not.

00:32:23.410 --> 00:32:50.894
We all need to be looking at the bigger picture, specifically for our students in special populations, because I don't think that paper is the game changer that we often think it is, and the good news is you can gradually shift out of that mindset into more meaningful and applicable activities for students so we can support them toward their best outcomes.

00:32:52.740 --> 00:33:10.169
If you loved this, if this episode resonated with you and you're excited about the possibilities with this, I want to remind you this is the kind of stuff we talk about each and every week in our School for School Counselors, mastermind, we meet weekly for support and consultation.

00:33:10.169 --> 00:33:34.147
We talk about situations just like this, ideas of things to deploy or approaches to use, and we have our school counseling playbooks inside of the Mastermind, which are guides to guide you through these interventions, where you can customize and personalize them for the student without having to print any additional materials.

00:33:34.147 --> 00:33:36.593
Go grab a bunch of extra supplies.

00:33:36.593 --> 00:33:38.587
It's just all right there.

00:33:38.587 --> 00:33:46.469
It's leaning on your professional expertise and just showing you how to better harness it for phenomenal outcomes.

00:33:46.469 --> 00:33:51.682
All that and more is waiting for you in the School for School Counselors Mastermind.

00:33:51.682 --> 00:33:56.833
You can join it by going to schoolforschoolcounselorscom slash mastermind.

00:33:56.833 --> 00:34:03.601
All the information and the sign up button will be right there, and we can't wait to welcome you All right.

00:34:03.621 --> 00:34:05.707
Well, this was a powerful episode and I am so grateful that you stuck with me through the end.

00:34:05.707 --> 00:34:07.250
I'll be back soon with another episode of the School for School Counselors.

00:34:07.250 --> 00:34:10.400
Well, this was a powerful episode and I am so grateful that you stuck with me through the end.

00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:14.871
I'll be back soon with another episode of the School for School Counselors podcast.

00:34:14.871 --> 00:34:24.552
In the meantime, I hope you have the best week, take care of yourself, keep being awesome and I'll be back with you very soon.

Avoiding Paper and Pencil Pitfalls in Your School Counseling Office

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes