"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Pulling inspiration from what we already love

Positive thoughts can make the difference between a hard day and a terrible day for many students. While none of us have the time to have lengthy encouraging conversations with all of our students, it is easier to slip them a note, have an ever changing bulletin board or to have a jar of affirmations. 

Try printing out a flyer and cutting strips at the bottom for kids to grab a happy thought in passing, or have a box folded and ready to go. This is a great activity for a check in with a student who has graduated from individual counseling.

There are many ready to go quotes and phrases ready to print:

literary quotes

for younger students

for teens

Chose a Career Path, You Must.

Using popular characters to get students thinking about the future.

In my on the job experience I have found career counseling to be widely unpopular. This has always troubled me because not only is it interesting, but it can really make a difference for students as they plan their future.

After some thought, it seems more and more that its the idea of taking assessments and tests that may turn off some students, and the idea of grading that may not delight counselors. This is partially relieved because of the wide variety of quality on-line assessments. To give this a push to make it more interesting, you can relate personality/career assessment to fictional universes. 

A quick Google search yields many pre-made charts:

A Myers-Briggs match up to Star Wars. Another one for Harry Potter.

Something as simple as making the results interesting can get kids involved. Once word gets around school students will be lining up to find out who they are like from their favorite story, and this can be a great transition into student's learning more about themselves.

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

Designing an Eye Catching  Bulletin Board

Testing season is upon is, and here at the Geeky School Counselor that means a busy few weeks.

One of the most common struggles for student's at this time is Test anxiety. The Hunger Games is one great work of fiction that can be applied to testing however the possibilities are endless; from Divergent to Harry Potter it is easy to come up with a catchy them to get students interested in your resources and tips.

By using popular culture in your designs you can not only get kids interested but you can also help to get teachers on board. This can apply to ELA classes or AR books, or anywhere else in the curriculum that you can make a connection.

More great Bulletin Boards here

As to the test-anxiety curriculum, there are a wealth of ideas available like:

Meditation

work sheets

Relaxation Exercises

Building up Emotional Intellegence

 Using Lego Mini figures to encourage pro-social behavior

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Legos are wildly popular among students of all ages, and may programs exist to use them for educational purposes, for example the company Bricks 4 kidz. These programs can be tailored to any grade level and have the advantage of being highly appealing to students.

Stop motion programs are widely available on the internet and can be a way to integrate creative expression into your curriculum. by streaming photos of sets designed with legos students can create their own videos. This can be used therapeutically to explore feelings, ideas and interactions.
Below is an example video made my high school students struggling with motivation.

Introducto-Patronum

Using fictional characters to get to know your students

At the beginning of the school year a counselor may be working with many students that they have not yet had a chance to build rapport with for many reasons. This is just one technique to get to know the needs of the students as well as to build the connection needed to help them.

To use this lesson, either in small group or classroom guidance I would dress up as the literary character I connect with: Harry Potter. As it happens I have such a costume on hand but if you do not there are a variety of cute ideas here: beginning of the year costume ideas 

As the group begins, introduce yourself as the school counselor and explain who you are dressed as for the occasion. I would then explain I chose Harry Potter because he is a brave leader who never gives up. This can be more or less elaborate depending on the grade level of students. After your introduction ask students to take a few moments and think about who they are most like, or would like to be like. 

After students have a chance to reflect you can have them complete a worksheet or do a go-around depending on group size. It could also be effective to have the students draw their character. Finally allow students the chance to present their final drawing or work to the group. 

This lesson allows you to get to know your kids better and also to get them thinking on who they are and where they would like to be.

Helpful Links

Useful Links

Links for all levels:

Elementary School Counseling

Middle School Counseling

High School Counseling

Special Issues:

Bullying

Counseling and Technology

When in doubt, check ASCA:

American School Counselors Association