As school counselors, we know that not all of our students are going to go to college after graduating. However, for the students who do have college in their future plans, we want to make the application process as accessible as possible. Cue: College Application Day! Hosting a College Application Day is one of the best ways that we can support students as they begin their college application journey. Applying to colleges is an intimidating step for many high schoolers, so hosting a day dedicat...
Sep 16, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Have you ever held a “Coffee with the Counselor” event at your school? This can be a great opportunity for parents to connect with counselors and other parents all while learning about a particular topic. I’ve held several “Coffee with the Counselor” events in the past, and some have been a huge hit while others didn’t quite have the turnout we’d hoped for. Along the way, I learned what logistics you need to plan for and I’m sharing them with you today. I’ll run through all the details so you ca...
Sep 09, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Begin with the end in mind. You've probably heard this advice before, but I want it to be your mantra this school year! One of the best things you can do at the beginning of a new school year is to plan your year. I've talked on the podcast before about using organizational tools, such as a calendar, to give you a visual of your year and showcase all the good things you're doing as a counselor. So, in today's episode, I'm sharing why you need to plan your year with a 10,000-foot view and the ben...
Sep 02, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Whether you’re still on summer break or have already kicked off a new school year, there’s one thing I think you need during this season: a curriculum map! While it’s very common for teachers to use this planning tool, I believe there are so many benefits for high school counselors to use it as well. In today’s episode, I’m sharing why you should create a curriculum map and how it sets you up for a successful school year. One of the things I love about a curriculum map is that it helps you visua...
Aug 26, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 141
You’ve waited four episodes to listen to the last episode in our grade-level counselor series. A student’s senior year is full of ups and downs, celebratory moments, and disappointments, and a senior counselor gets to experience it all with them. My guest on today’s episode, Brittany Slagle, experienced all of this and is sharing both what she loves and where she struggles in working with seniors. I’ve talked on the podcast before about the stress and responsibilities of being a senior counselor...
Aug 19, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Being a school counselor allows you to form close relationships with your students and help guide them through their high school years. It’s honestly one of the best and most rewarding parts of the job, and no one believes that more than my guest, Leigh Pottle. Leigh is a high school counselor who works with all grade levels, but she is giving her perspective and insight on working with juniors specifically. Leigh acknowledges that when you work with students as upperclassmen, their needs are di...
Aug 12, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 139
We’re continuing our series on talking with different high school counselors who work with specific grade levels, and today is all about sophomores! Sophomores hold a special place in my heart because when I first started as a counselor, I worked primarily with sophomores. So, I was excited to sit down with my guest, Hannah Fain, to see how our experiences aligned and how things might have changed over the years. Hannah has a great perspective on working with sophomores and the importance of hav...
Aug 05, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 138
When you’re a counselor who works solely with ninth graders, your role and challenges can sometimes look different from those of other counselors working with older high school grades. No one knows this better than my guest, Felicia Carter. Working primarily with ninth graders her entire counseling career, she has gained so much knowledge through her experience and is sharing her wisdom with you all. In this episode, Felicia shares how she seamlessly transitions ninth graders into high school, a...
Jul 29, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Before the new school year officially begins, I’m starting a new series where I’m talking with counselors from different grade levels to gather insight into their roles and the specific struggles or challenges they face with the grade level they serve. Today, I’m kicking off the series with middle school counselor Lauren Tenholder. Lauren shares what high school counselors need to know about incoming ninth-grade students and their transition to high school. When incoming ninth graders enter high...
Jul 22, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 136
When you’re a new high school counselor, you think you need to have a Pinterest-perfect office in order to be effective. However, your worth as a high school counselor isn’t dependent on how much stuff you have in your office or how much financial support you get from your principal, districts, or PTSA. But having a few essentials and office must-haves that you can’t live without will certainly make your life easier! This episode highlights a few back-to-school tips and some high school counselo...
Jul 15, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 135
One of the best ways I grew as a professional and leader was when I was a supervisor to high school counseling interns. Being responsible for teaching, guiding, and preparing future high school counselors was something I knew was important for the future of the field. In today's episode, I'm sharing four key things you should do as a supervisor for your counseling interns. My goal as a supervisor was to get my counseling interns to be able to do this job without me. This is why each of the four ...
Jul 08, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 134
I’m always looking to find new resources and information that will be helpful tools for high school students. Whether that be career opportunities, college options, or test-taking strategies, I want to get the right resources in YOUR hands to give to your students. So when I came across Dan Heath’s podcast, "What It’s Like to Be," I knew this modern platform would be the perfect resource to provide high school students and their parents. In each of Dan’s episodes, he interviews someone in a uniq...
Jul 01, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 133
As a new school counselor, we’re excited and eager to focus on students, enhance the counseling program at our school, and advocate for our role to others in the building. But being the new counselor might mean you’re working closely with veteran school counselors, formerly known as guidance counselors, who might not have the same mindset or perspective as you. So what do you do if you’re in this situation? In this episode, I’m sharing what to do when working with an old-school guidance counselo...
Jun 24, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 132
The end-of-year stress and exhaustion can bring up a lot of emotions for school counselors. And when it’s finally summer break, you have the time to stop and reflect on what you want professionally going forward. When a school year wraps, I know many school counselors ask themselves, is it time for me to move on from this? It can be hard to sift through all you’re feeling and decide what your next step is. So, in this episode, I’m helping you examine when it’s time to move on from high school co...
Jun 17, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Everyone wants to feel successful in their job. But sometimes, there are certain aspects in and out of your control that contribute to you feeling hesitant to speak up, questioning your ability, or finding it difficult to create change. This occurs when psychological safety is low in the work culture, which then contributes to doubting yourself. My guest on today’s episode, Caroline Crawford, is sharing ways for navigating imposter syndrome and facilitating a positive work culture and how this r...
Jun 10, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 130
If you’ve been in the education field long enough, you know that the people you work with, encounter along your journey, and meet on the different paths in your career all shape who you are and your approach to your role. Well, I’m no exception to that philosophy. As a high school counselor, I met many fellow counselors who had an impact on my role as a school counselor and the qualities I tried to embody on a daily basis. In this episode, I reflect on the three educators who inspired me and cha...
Jun 03, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 129
I know when I first started out as a school counselor, I was incredibly nervous and constantly worried about both the small and big things that would happen in this role. And while this feeling was completely normal when first starting out, I quickly realized that worrying didn’t do me any good and that I needed to focus on my job and what I knew I could do. So, if this sounds like you, in today’s episode, I’m sharing four things to quit worrying about if you’re a brand new school counselor. Sin...
May 27, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Think back to the time you transitioned from middle school to high school. You went from being the oldest in the school to now being the youngest in a new building with a bunch of new opportunities in front of you. Many incoming ninth graders are apprehensive about being in a new school and unsure about the classes they need to take and what to get involved in. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing how to seamlessly transition students from eighth to ninth grade. When you get a new caseload of inc...
May 20, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 127
I love sharing ideas, tips, and advice about all things related to school counseling. But nothing makes me more excited than the joy, eagerness, and excited demeanor of new high school counselors! They've got all these new ideas they want to implement and are excited to hit the ground running. So, if you're a new high school counselor and thinking, " What do I need to know before the school year begins? " this episode is for you! Learning all the things you'll need to do as a new high school cou...
May 13, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 126
This is the time of year when you might start looking for new opportunities in the form of a new counseling job. Whether you’re a student who just graduated college, a parent coming back into the workforce after staying home with your children, or just looking for a new place to help students, this episode is for you! I have my friend, Rachel Davis, on today, and we’re sharing our best school counseling interview advice in hopes of giving you encouragement and tips as you enter the job search sc...
May 06, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Even though for some of you, summer might feel so far away, in reality, it’s just around the corner. I know I was always ready to leave and start relaxing, but there are certain things that need to get done before heading out the door. I want you to feel confident and know that you have everything wrapped up from the year and are ready to start a new school year when you return. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing three major end-of-year items to help you close out your year. There are a million...
Apr 29, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 124
Sometimes, the things we have to do as high school counselors aren't glamorous, exciting, or thrilling. However, that doesn't mean they're not important or essential for running our counseling programs. One of those things is analyzing data. It's likely that you've collected data throughout the school year, but as the end of the year approaches, you're probably thinking, what do I do with this? In today's episode, I'm sharing how analyzing your end-of-the-year data shows the impact you made this...
Apr 22, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 123
I’m shocked to say it, but today’s topic is a first for the podcast! It’s not something that we’re immersed in our day-to-day routine, but it’s so important in supporting student needs that, as high school counselors, we should be knowledgeable about it. That’s right, I’m talking about IEPs and 504s. Since I’m not an expert in this subject, I wanted to bring on a guest who has decades of experience and can help provide us with the information we need when attending IEP and 504 meetings. Today’s ...
Apr 15, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 122
I’ve said it before, but this time of year is one of the most stressful with graduation, wrapping up the school year, and so many other things that consume your school day. That’s why I wanted to take a moment and reflect on your year and, more importantly, the success you’ve had throughout the school year. To help celebrate, seven other high school counselors are sharing their counselor wins with our community. As each high school counselor shared their counselor wins, I was amazed by the numbe...
Apr 08, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 121
As graduation approaches, you’re probably doing all the last-minute details of finalizing the details of the event, ordering cap and gowns, designing the program, and about a million other tasks. And while you’ve thought of every detail, you probably didn’t consider or want to think about the seniors not graduating. While it’s an unfortunate and depressing thought, it’s the reality that a lot of counselors have to face during this time of year. So, if you’re in this situation right now, what do ...
Apr 01, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 120
We’ve officially entered the last quarter of the school year, which means graduation for seniors is just around the corner. However, we all know some students who are at risk and in jeopardy of not getting their diplomas. As high school counselors, it’s part of our job to help those at-risk students graduate. So, I’m sharing ways you can specifically support them during this time. Being a high school counselor, you probably already have a relationship with these at-risk students and have support...
Mar 25, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 119
As high school counselors, doing classroom lessons is part of the job and helps us stay connected to students and their needs. However, most of our lessons tend to focus on the essentials of scholarship programs, financial aid literacy, reading transcripts, and so much more academically. Instead, I want to give you some counseling classroom lesson ideas that involve social-emotional learning. In order to have a proactive counseling program, we need to provide and teach our students the necessary...
Mar 18, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Have you been wanting to start classroom lessons in your high school counseling program but haven’t taken the plunge yet? You’re in the right place because I have some motivating tips for you that will help you take action on classroom lessons. Specifically, I have six steps that you can follow. If you’re feeling like you’ll be creating more work for yourself if you start classroom lessons, hear me out. More classroom lessons can lead to more intentional small groups, individual counseling sessi...
Mar 11, 2024•11 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Are you interested in hosting a career fair at your high school and wondering where to begin? That's similar to the position I was in as a school counselor. There hadn't been a career fair at my school in many years, but I decided to pitch the idea to help with career readiness efforts for students. Career fairs can be an incredible way to reach many students at once and open doors and career opportunities for them. They can also tremendously impact your students' lives, expose them to careers t...
Mar 04, 2024•10 min•Season 1Ep. 116
As high school counselors, we are experts at discussing mental health, relationships, self-regulation, and post-secondary planning. But when it comes to school counselor finances, it can feel uncomfortable and confusing! Whether you want to pay off debt, save, or invest, this conversation will empower you regarding your finances. Today's guest, Jeremy Schneider, is a successful entrepreneur and personal finance expert. After starting an internet company in college, selling it at 34 for over $5 m...
Feb 26, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 115
