By Laura Driscoll | Social Emotional Skills , Teacher Consultation
Learning often happens when we are focused on progress (over product) and we are willing to take risks. So often in our classrooms, students are nervous to make mistakes and are focused on being right. How do we intentionally create a classroom and school community that is supportive? The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders found […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Social Emotional Skills
Children’s picture books are the perfect way to introduce different social emotional skills. One of the first social emotional learning standards is teaching students to identify feelings. These four books are my favorite for showing students that we all have a range of feelings and all feelings are okay.There are affiliate links in this post. […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Group Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
I’m serious. For three years, I sent every student in my K-5 elementary school a group counseling permission slip. Hold your hats. I (and the school counselor) saw the 90% of students that returned a permission slip. You might be asking how we did this. You definitely might be asking why did we do this. You […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Group Counseling , Individual Counseling
How do you end individual counseling services with a student? Termination is an important event in counseling and it might be one that we shortchange a bit. Totally get it. The student is ready, they met their goals. BUT, we have an opportunity in that last session to make counseling progress last. Students need to exit […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Group Counseling , Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
Identifying feelings and understanding feelings is an essential social-emotional skill. This is always where I would start in counseling and where most social-emotional curriculums begin. If a student can’t identify how they feel, it’s awfully hard to manage those feelings. While we don’t have a shortage of feelings activities or books on feelings, I think In […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Individual Counseling
I’m often asked how to incorporate CBT activities (cognitive behavioral therapy) in school counseling and if it’s really a fit for school counselors. Are school counselors even allowed to use CBT? 100% yes. CBT activities use a short-term evidence-based approach. It’s a match made in heaven. Well, where do I even start? You start with showing students […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Individual Counseling
Feelings thermometers or scales are an essential tool in your counseling office. I can’t think of something else I reached for or referenced more often with students. They are reusable, research-based tools that help kids put a situation in perspective, build self-awareness,develop a self-management plan, and connect thoughts, feelings, and actions.Phew, talk about a workhorse. For most elementary or […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Group Counseling , Individual Counseling
Children, just like adults, are prone to negative thinking. Their negative thinking can lead them to be avoidant, have meltdowns, get into fights, and take other negative actions. The concept of thoughts can be a little abstract for children. Certainly more difficult to understand than feelings and behaviors. When helping children change their thinking, I make […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Group Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
This winter focus on giving and receiving compliments. Genuine compliments can be a great way to build a positive classroom culture. When students learn how to give and accept compliments, they are also building empathy. Teaching compliments is an easy way to build a positive community.Giving ComplimentsStart by defining what a compliment is.A compliment is […]
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By Laura Driscoll | Individual Counseling , Social Emotional Skills
Do you set goals with students in counseling? In individual counseling, I try to weave SMART goals into a student’s sessions. It helps them feel in charge of their progress and be partners in their progress. There are a number of ways that you can introduce and use goal setting. I find that the secret sauce […]
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