I often have students who request to see me many times throughout a given school week. Since I have an entire school population to serve, I cannot always be there for them face-to-face. So, I decided to start creating counseling journals with these students. We make them out of notebook paper and colored construction paper (for the cover). Students can decorate their journals however they wish. I typically write the first message, reminding students about how the process works, and then, from that point on, students write as often as they need to. This is also a great way to document student progress. Students love it and it's cheap and easy!

www.elementaryschoolcounseling.org/individual-counseling-documents.html

One of my favorite things to do with students is read stories. Books help teach important concepts and engage students in a unique way. To shake things up a bit, I sometimes show my stories instead of read them myself. I've included links to two excellent websites that are FREE to use.

I just ordered business cards through Vistaprint and I am VERY excited to receive them in the mail!

In December 2011, NPR published a story on temper tantrums, specifically on how to best respond to them. Below, you can watch part of the story. You can read the full article and hear the audio file on NPR's website or my behavior plan page.

I recently stumbled upon a YouTube video about a middle school student. In the video, he expresses his feelings about bullying in a very powerful way. Some of this material would be inappropriate to show younger students, but could certainly be a starting point of discussion for others.  

Elementary School Counseling is slowly growing in size and scope. I will continue adding to the site over the next few months so that it TRULY is a great resource for school counselors.

To help you get to know me a little better, I decided to include my Prezi office tour. This is a wonderful site with countless practical applications.

Take my office tour below...and yes, I know, my office is a bit cluttered and small!