Laura is a former school psychologist passionately trying to bring social-emotional learning to every student at every tier. Click here for hands-on resources for the classroom and counseling.
By Laura Driscoll | Behavior , Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
I couldn’t touch my toes for years. Yoga is not a part of my life unless you count the pants. But even I know the value of integrating yoga in schools. Studies have shown that it helps decrease symptoms of anxiety and impulsivity, improves self-esteem and classroom behavior. The benefits hit home for me during my first […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Individual Counseling
Measuring progress in individual counseling is challenging. I don’t think there is much argument there. Long rating scales and lengthy observations are not viable or scalable solutions. Couldn’t measuring progress in individual counseling be easier? I think so. We have to do a little borrowing from our school buddies. Teachers backwards plan lessons. SpEd teachers break big […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Group Counseling , Individual Counseling
We all have our go-to anxiety strategies for kids. Deep breathing with cute names like Balloon Breaths or guided imagery of a calm beach. Those are perfectly effective strategies and some of my favorites. In counseling, I like to be able to give students a couple different options to find one that works best for […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Social Emotional Skills , Teacher Consultation
Responsibility and choice is the degree to which teachers allow students to make responsible decisions about their work in their classroom.Why It’s ImportantMaking student responsibility and choice a part of your classroom helps students:gain a better understanding of themselves as learners, struggle and plan in a controlled setting, and stay engaged with their work.It does not mean […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
Kids are terrible at apologizing. Heck, adults aren’t much better. I’m sure, like me, you have found yourself demanding a child say sorry to another child only to have them not show the least sign of remorse. Putting the words in their mouth doesn’t seem to be working. So let’s try directly teaching them how to apologize. More […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
Many of the students I have seen for counseling have been referred because they are struggling to control themselves when they get angry. As counselors, it can be tempting to create a behavior plan, practice some deep breathing with the student, and give their teacher a list of strategies. Voila, anger management intervention.How often has […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Uncategorized
17 people were murdered at a school in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday. I have struggled to find the right words, to hold back tears, and to channel my anger into rational actions. As a school psychologist and a blogger preaching about the importance of social-emotional skills, I am compelled to share my thoughts and more […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
Research has repeatedly shown that programs claiming to increase a child’s or teen’s self-esteem have failed to do so. These programs have opted for activities full of superficial affirmations, rather than activities that discover the underlying causes of self-esteem and target interventions there. Think of it like this. Say you run over a nail with […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Behavior
The majority of questions I get from teachers, counselors, and psychologists is about individual behavior plans that aren’t working. When we dig in to see why a plan isn’t working, one of these five mistakes is sticking out like a sore thumb. Now, I’m not referencing the classroom color charts that all students are on […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Social Emotional Skills , Teacher Consultation
I walked into a classroom one day with a teacher telling a student they looked like a slob because his shirt was untucked. Not the kind of words that build up and encourage a child. We’ve all said something or been present when something is said to a student that makes us cringe. It can […]
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