Picture this: You’re a busy school counselor, juggling a multitude of tasks, feeling like there are never enough hours in the day. A new issue presents itself, you look around at all the binders and files and books and resources in your office, and you think, "What do I do??!!?" Ever been there? You’re not alone. This week, I reveal how adopting a capsule wardrobe revolutionized my morning routine and, surprisingly, informed my counseling practice. Who thought getting dressed each day could teac...

Imagine beginning your school year fully prepared, with a clear roadmap for success. That's what we're talking about in this episode of the School for School Counselors Podcast. We dissect the best ways to plan for the year ahead, reduce cognitive load, and create effective boundaries that will streamline your school year through insights from our recent "Best Year Ever!" event. As school counselors, we're well aware of the importance of calendar management. This episode contains valuable advice...

Ever felt like a fraud in your own profession, plagued by the fear of being exposed as an imposter? Believe it or not, you're not alone. This episode takes a deep dive into the reality of imposter syndrome in the world of school counseling, a phenomenon surprisingly prevalent among all our colleagues. We dissect how factors like a new environment or a challenging atmosphere can amplify these feelings and emphasize the need for proactive management and understanding of each campus' unique dynamic...

Does it feel like your principal isn't listening to you? Is it difficult to inspire change on campus because it seems no one understands your role? In this episode, I highlight the power of social capital and the role it plays in school counseling advocacy efforts. It’s a long game, and I talk about the value of understanding your environment and how it influences your counseling approach, as well as the importance of fostering strong bonds with your administrative team and the art of advocating...

As school counselors, we often carry the weight of our students' problems and it's a struggle to not bring those concerns home. So how do we transition from the heavy role of school counseling to being fully present in our personal lives? This episode tackles that very question, providing you with practical strategies and introducing the concept of a transition ritual - a game changer in achieving the elusive work-life balance. You'll learn how to create a transition ritual that works for you, o...

***JOIN OUR FREE "BEST YEAR EVER!' EVENT!*** Check out the details at https://www.schoolforschoolcounselors.com/bestyearever Ever felt queasy at the thought of addressing a room full of people? Considered calling in sick instead of presenting to campus staff? Or does imposter syndrome have you feeling worried about being judged when speaking during professional development? This episode fo the School for School Counselors Podcast can help you not just survive, but truly rock your next presentati...

Can you believe it's been a year since the School for School Counselors podcast began? We owe our incredible success to you, our amazing school counselor colleagues. To celebrate this milestone, my right-hand and other half of my brain, Brooke, joins me for a special episode. Together, we reminisce about our journey, discuss our experience with the podcast, and share future plans. Join us as we reflect on our first year and look forward to what's ahead- like our upcoming Best Year Ever event. Do...

Are you ready to level up your counseling room for the upcoming school year? We've got you covered with this week's episode, where we reveal the must-have items and resources recommended after polling over 8,000 members of our Facebook group! From technology tools and books to games and snacks, we dive into the essential elements that will create a welcoming and effective space for your students. Be sure to visit our website for the complete list, available for free, as you curate your perfect c...

Does this sound familiar? You've been told to practice summer self-care in order to recharge and prepare for the upcoming school year. But despite taking time off and engaging in self-care activities, you still feel burnt out and emotionally drained. It's frustrating and disheartening. The good news is- there is an alternative approach that can actually utilize to improve your emotional wellness and resilience during the summer. In this episode, we'll explore the power of self-compassion and how...

Do you ever feel like your interventions for students with ADHD are just not working as you expected? Join me, Steph Johnson, as we unravel some of the complexities of ADHD and focus on the concept of positive and negative urgency—an essential factor in understanding and supporting students with ADHD. Through a relatable example of a student shutting down in class, I'll walk you through the typical steps we take to intervene and how understanding the differences between negative and positive urg...

Are your students struggling with emotional dysregulation, self-harm, or impulsive behaviors? Discover the incredible benefits of integrating Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) approaches into school counseling! With mental health concerns on the rise in schools, DBT can provide essential life skills and support for students facing various challenges. In this episode, we dive deep into DBT resources and share valuable insights from recent studies on the topic. Join us as we discuss the implement...

In this episode, I've got a little trick that's going to ensure that you next-level your school counseling game for next year. What would it be like to walk away at the end of the school year and not even think about school again until it's time to go back on duty? What would it be like to know for sure that you're going to be up-leveling your game come fall? What if you had your program components prepared and ready to go in under half an hour? Even if you've been school counseling for a while ...

What's happening in school counseling right now? Everybody's EXHAUSTED. Right? Just absolutely exhausted. In this episode, I offer my thoughts and ways to maintain perspective in this overwhelming and busy time of year. Mentioned in this Episode: ** FREE DOWNLOAD- Student Summer/Safety Plan ** School for School Counselors Mastermind "Get the Job!" Interview Prep Program ********************* Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for...

Summer plans are something that you can help students develop to help hold off any "summer slide" of social emotional skills they've built during the school year. They can also be used to support students who may be living in tenuous circumstances or for other social-emotional concerns. But how to write them? What do we include? And how can we know that students will even utilize them over the summer? We'll dive into all this and more in this episode. Mentioned in this Episode: ** FREE DOWNLOAD-...

School counselors often fall into a gray area on campus, not quite fitting into the "administrator" or "teacher" category. This can result in ambiguity around our job roles and expectations. With Teacher Appreciation Week approaching, it's common for school counselors to be included in celebrations despite our jobs being vastly different from classroom teachers. Continuing to group counselors in with teachers could have consequences, so in this episode, we'll explore ways to set ourselves apart ...

The debate regarding the implementation of character education versus social-emotional learning (SEL) has been reignited recently in light of Florida's new Resiliency Education Standards. Character education emphasizes the development of specific virtues, such as respect, responsibility, and citizenship. Proponents of character education argue that these virtues can be taught in a structured way, and that this approach leads to better academic and social outcomes for students. On the other hand,...

In this episode, I HOPE I AM WRONG about what appears to be a systematic dismantling of school counselors in Florida. Less than a month ago, the Florida First Lady announced an initiative to "reframe mental health education with a focus on resiliency" and teach students to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. As part of this initiative, Florida is inviting literally anyone off the street to take a short "counseling course," go into schools, and serve as unqualified "coaches" in lieu of studen...

Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a term that we hear people toss around in schools all the time. It just seems to be the world we're living in right now: if you don't know what to do with "that kid," if they get persnickety, if they're argumentative, if they don't cooperate, they refuse to complete work, threaten others, etc., etc... everyone seems to feel free to start talking about ODD. In this episode, I'll talk about the damage that can be done with this type of label, why some prominent e...

It seems we're always talking about, "Before COVID... Since COVID... Now that COVID has happened...." I wanted to bring you an episode about what REALLY happened for students and families during the height of the COVID pandemic. Although a lot of the research is still yet to be released, what we do have so far has given us some really interesting insights as to where students stood during the fury of lockdowns and social distancing, and some of the things they experienced along the way. Those fa...

When tragedy strikes, it's hard to know what the next best steps are as school counselors. For so many people, the world feels like a disorienting mess right now. So what do we do in times like these? I'm offering some thoughts from our recent School for School Counselors open support & consultation chat. Because when I learned that many of you were hurting, I immediately dropped all plans and began working to ensure that my team and I could provide space for our colleagues to process their thou...

Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling. Mentioned in this Episode: School for School Counselors Mastermind <--- signup/info link Cited Sources: Bardhoshi, G., et al. (2022). Novice sch...

We get lots of questions from our "Get the Job!" prep program each year, and one of the most popular is, "What do I wear?" In this episode of the podcast, we'll jump into color choice: how are the colors of your interview attire perceived, and what does the research really say? We'll walk through the research about your color choices, how they may be interpreted, and how you can use the research to your advantage. ****************** Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school co...

It's time to focus on something that is really overlooked in our field and that we should be talking more about: it could be the single most important skill that you can develop to not only survive- but thrive!- in your career as a school counselor. Can you guess what it might be? Self-compassion may seem like kind of a silly thing to be talking about when we think about all of the really big, important, stressful things going on in our school counseling worlds, but research shows us that self-...

Let's talk universal screeners. They are a huge topic of interest in school counseling right now, with lots and lots of "buzz": which are the best, which best capture particular trends on campuses, which are evidence-based... on and on and on and on. Everyone wants to talk about universal screeners. There are, however, a few important caveats that aren't as readily discussed. We're going to hop into those with this episode in an attempt to give you a really comprehensive overview of universal s...