I Didn’t Know What I Didn’t Know: Why Conferences Changed My Counseling Practice

In this episode of Counselor Chat, I’m sharing why professional development and conferences became such a turning point in my school counseling career. Early on, I didn’t fully realize how much I could learn outside of my own building — or how much my perspective was limited by only knowing my own experiences.

I’ll talk about finally attending my first conference, creating a small local conference for counselors, and how trainings in restorative practices and trauma, illness, and grief have deeply changed the way I support students, staff, and school communities.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why professional development is not “extra”
• How conferences expand your perspective
• The power of learning from other counselors
• Why asking to attend training matters
• How restorative practices and crisis-response training changed my work

Takeaway:

You don’t know what you don’t know — and sometimes one conference, one training, or one new idea can change your entire practice.

Check out the:

Summer Counselor Conference

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

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