We have said it before, and we will no doubt say it again- school counselors are leaders.  ASCA tells us this.  You are a leader in your school, community, and even nation!  Matthew McClain, Executive Director of the Colorado School Counselor Association, drives home the reason why this is so important.  He explains how he got started in school counseling leadership, and what a difference it has made in his career!  Listen in as he shares practical, rubber meets the road tips that will help propel you forward in your school counseling role!

In this episode we talk about the drastic rise in educator burnout.  We are tackling the reasons why educators are walking away from the profession at an alarming rate.  We will be doing another episode soon on school counselor burnout.  If you haven't already, go comment on our Instagram or Facebook post on this topic.  This episode is coming at you straight from the Dayton, Ohio airport!  

Trust us- don't skip this one just because you don't do small groups.  Whether you run small groups or not, we promise this is worth the listen!  Sarah Flier is full of wisdom and school counseling knowledge.  She shares so much information on school counseling that it's easy to see why she was one of the finalists for the National School Counselor of the Year!  

Parent involvement is much different for many of our families than it was a decade ago.  Dr. Debbie Grant, a former school counselor and current professor at the University of West Alabama, is a bridge builder when it comes to helping parents see the importance of being present.  Listen to this podcast episode as she shares rubber meets the road strategies she used to truly change the outcome for many of her students.

Contact Dr. Grant- [email protected]

Our course, The First 20 Days

This episode was like a party!  We are joined by several new and old school counseling friends from across the nation.  Listen in as we answer questions from YOU, our listeners!  We're talking about advocacy, National School Counseling Week, measuring student progress, heavy caseloads, and more!  If you didn't join us on this episode, make sure you don't miss the next one!  We'd like to give a shout out to our guest stars from all across the nation who joined us on this episode.  You all MADE this episode what it is!  We love you!

We love when people combine what they're passionate about with their school counseling role.  That's exactly what Dr. Ryan Reese has done with nature and school counseling.  In this episode he shares some of his findings about the benefits of exposing students to various elements of nature.  He also shares "rubber meets the road" tips that our listeners have come to expect and love from our guests.  Let this episode inspire you to start bringing some of the outside inside!  Let us know what you're doing to mix nature and school counseling!

Ryan Reese is an associate professor at Oregon State University- Cascades.  He is also the owner and operator of EcoWellness Counseling and Consulting.  www.ecowellnessbend.com

School counseling advocacy is so important.  We are responsible for spreading the word about the work that we do in order to break down walls and inaccurate mindsets about the job that we do.  Daniel Birdsong, the president of the Alabama School Counseling Association, shares some of the findings of his dissertation based on school counseling advocacy.  This is an episode you will want to listen to multiple times.  We would also recommend sharing it with your administrator and counseling supervisor.

Contact Daniel Birdsong: [email protected]

We are not fans of making resolutions for the new year.  We hate the thought of setting ourselves up for failure.  In this episode we talk about areas we want to focus on as school counselors using the principles outlined in the book by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, The Deepest Well.  Instead of setting unrealistic goals, we want to focus on improving by 1% each day.  Listen in as we share our thoughts on what we would like to accomplish this year.  What are some goals or areas you want to focus on this year?

These will either be the worst tips or the best tips you've ever heard for making the most of the holiday season.  We know that this time of year can bring up a lot of emotions.  We have them, too!  In this episode we are adding to some of the Mayo Clinic's top tips for making the most of the holiday season.  One thing is guaranteed: you will have a smile on your face as you listen to us share these tips!