Counselor Chat Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

Episode 160: Simple Mental Health Supports Every School Can Use Right Now

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming up, and I know how easy it is to feel like you need to do more.

Add another lesson. Try something new. Fit one more thing into an already full schedule.

In this episode, I share a different perspective. Supporting student mental health is not about adding something big. It is about what is already happening in your day and how you show up in those moments.

I walk through simple, realistic ways I support student mental health that do not require extra time or complicated planning. These are things you can start using right away.

In this episode:

• Why mental health support is not limited to a lesson, a week, or a specific month
• How everyday interactions shape how students feel and respond
• Simple ways to support students without overwhelming your schedule
• The role consistency plays in helping students feel safe
• How to support your own mental health while supporting others

Practical Ways to Support Mental Health:

• Checking in with students in small, informal moments throughout the day
• Helping students understand that all feelings are valid and worth sharing
• Teaching a few coping strategies and practicing them regularly
• Creating predictable routines so students know what to expect
• Making space for connection through simple conversations
• Using tools like calm down kits to support regulation when needed

"You are not responsible for doing everything. You are responsible for doing what you can with intention."

Resources Mentioned:

Calm Down Kit Freebie!

High School Mental Health Lesson

Feelings Check Ins

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

Rocks, Sand, and the Pressure to Do It All (Especially in April)

April can feel like a breaking point for school counselors. Between testing, behavior challenges, end-of-year responsibilities, and ongoing student needs, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind.

In this episode, I'm sharing a powerful perspective shift using the classic “jar of rocks” story to help you refocus your time, energy, and expectations. This is your reminder that you were never meant to do it all—and that doing less of what doesn’t matter can actually help you do more of what does.

• Why April feels especially overwhelming for school counselors
• The hidden “invisible checklist” many counselors carry
• How to identify your “rocks” (what matters most right now)
• The difference between rocks, pebbles, and sand in your daily work
• Why letting go is a strategic decision, not a failure
• A simple mindset shift to reduce overwhelm immediately

• What are your rocks right now?
• Where are you spending time on sand instead of what matters most?
• What is one thing you can let go of this week?
• Where are you already making a difference (even if it doesn’t feel like it)?

You don’t have to do everything to make a difference.

You just have to focus on what matters most.

And right now… that’s enough. 💛

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

Test anxiety is everywhere this time of year, but it doesn’t always look the way we expect.

It’s not just nervous students biting their nails.

It’s avoidance.

Shutdown.

Frustration.

“I don’t care.”

In this episode, I’m breaking down what test anxiety really looks like, what’s happening in the brain, and how we can support students with simple, effective strategies that build confidence and calm.

• Why test anxiety is often misunderstood
• How overwhelm—not defiance—is driving behavior
• A simple way to explain anxiety to students
• How confidence and identity impact test performance

When students feel stressed, their brains flip into alarm mode.

• Heart rate increases
• Thinking becomes foggy
• Focus drops

It’s not that they don’t know the material…

👉 Their brain is trying to protect them.

• Color-by-code coping activities
• Confidence statement practice
• Collaborative classroom posters with calming messages

Simple. Low prep. High impact.

Color by Code Test Taking SKills

Test Strategies Game

Test Prep Motivators

Test Prep Collaborative Poster

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

Why I Don’t Make Kids Apologize (And What I Do Instead)

We’ve all said it:

“Go apologize.”

But what if that moment isn’t actually teaching accountability?

In this episode, I’m sharing why I don’t force apologies—and what I do instead to help students take real ownership, build empathy, and repair relationships in a meaningful way.

• An apology is not the same as accountability
• Forced apologies often teach compliance—not empathy
• Students need understanding before they can offer a genuine repair
• Slowing down the process leads to better long-term behavior and relationships

Think Sheets

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

Episode Title:

156. Spring Fever Is Real: Managing Big Energy & Bigger Behaviors

April is here—and with it comes big energy, distracted students, and behaviors that can leave teachers feeling overwhelmed.

But what if those behaviors aren’t defiance…

What if they’re communication?

In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful reframe that will shift how you see student behavior this time of year—plus simple, practical strategies you can use immediately to support regulation, connection, and readiness to learn.

• Why “spring fever” is really a perfect storm of unmet needs
• How to reframe behavior from frustration to understanding
• The connection between regulation, belonging, and behavior
• Why community and purpose matter for both staff and students

1. Brain Breaks with Purpose

• Cross-body movements to support focus
• 60-second resets for breathing + attention
• Intentional movement (not just “random wiggle time”)

2. Reset Routines After Transitions

• Build in a 1–2 minute reset after lunch, recess, or specials
• Use simple check-ins or grounding exercises
• Don’t expect instant regulation—teach it

3. Calm Down Spaces That Actually Work

• Focus on regulation—not punishment
• Include tools students already know how to use
• Practice when students are calm (not just overwhelmed)
• Consider portable calm down kits for smaller classrooms

When we shift from asking

“How do I stop this behavior?”

to asking

“What does this student need right now?”

…that’s where real change happens.

Resources Mentioned

Behavior Toolkit

Calm Down Kit

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

This week on Counselor Chat, I’m zooming out.

Over the past few weeks we’ve talked about college exploration, career research, brackets, and future possibilities. But in this episode I wanted to step back and ask a bigger question — one I ask my upper elementary and middle school students every year:

How long is a lifetime?

To explore that question, I use a simple visual with jellybeans, where each one represents a day of life. When students see them all laid out it feels like forever… until we start sorting them into things like sleeping, working, and everyday routines.

That’s when perspective shifts.

When we do the math together, students realize the average person may spend about 43 years working before retirement. And that leads to one of my favorite questions to ask them:

Instead of focusing only on what job they want someday, students begin thinking about the kind of life they want to build — and how the effort and skills they build now create opportunities later.

• The jellybean lifetime visual and why it resonates with students

• How I help students see the value of their time and future choices

• Why asking students how they want life to feel changes the conversation

• The connection between effort today and opportunities later

• The transferable skills that prepare students for any career path

Sometimes the most powerful lessons aren’t about choosing a career yet.

They’re about helping students understand that their time matters.

Because when you see your life represented by jellybeans, it becomes real.

Future Plans Lesson (How Long Is A Lifetime?)

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

154. March Madness and School Counseling

March Madness already brings energy into our school buildings.

Students are talking about brackets.

There’s excitement.

Competition.

Predictions about who will win.

In this episode, I share how I take that same excitement and turn it into a college and career exploration experience that students find engaging and meaningful.

Because if there’s one thing I want students to feel about their futures, it’s this:

I want their future to feel exciting, not overwhelming.

So instead of basketball teams…

I create a Future Bracket Challenge.

As I tell my students during this lesson:

What if colleges competed for you?

What if careers battled it out?

And what if you got to decide what makes it to your Final Four?

• How to turn March Madness energy into meaningful college and career exploration

• The College Research Pennant Project and how it makes research feel celebratory instead of overwhelming

• The Career Research Pennant Project that helps students connect education pathways to real careers

• A Career Cluster Bracket Challenge that encourages critical thinking and reflection

• A Sweet 16 Skills Bracket that explores essential future workplace skills

• Reflection questions that help students identify what matters most in their future

These activities help students begin to see their future not as something distant or intimidating…

But something they can start exploring right now.

Career Research Pennant Project

College Research Pennant Project

These ready-to-use templates include structured research sections and resource links, so students can focus on exploration rather than teachers building materials from scratch.

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

153. Shamrocks, Rainbows, and Gold: St. Patrick’s Day SEL That Actually Works

March in an elementary school often comes with a little extra magic.

Leprechaun footprints.

Construction paper rainbows.

Gold coins hidden in classrooms.

But seasonal fun doesn’t have to mean fluffy lessons.

In this episode, I'm sharing creative ways to turn St. Patrick’s Day excitement into meaningful social-emotional learning experiences that students will actually remember.

You’ll hear simple strategies you can use right away to teach growth mindset, resilience, goal setting, impulse control, and emotional regulation — all while leaning into the fun of the season.

As I remind students during one of these lessons:

• A Luck vs Effort growth mindset lesson students love

• How to use rainbows to teach goal setting

• Turning leprechaun traps into problem-solving activities

• A character traits treasure hunt with gold coins

• A gratitude shift from “I’m lucky because…” to “I worked hard for…”

• A playful impulse control lesson: Leprechaun Trick or Think

• Rainbow Regulation coping strategies for younger students

These activities help students understand that success isn’t about luck.

It’s about effort, perseverance, and learning along the way.

Seasonal lessons can absolutely be fun.

But when you add purpose, reflection, and conversation, they become something much more powerful.

Because when students are laughing, engaged, and thinking…

That’s when the learning sticks.

And that might just be the real pot of gold.

Luck vs Effort Lesson

Lucky Day Icebreakers

Being Golden with your Cyber Smarts

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group

Behavior concerns often land squarely on the school counselor’s shoulders, leaving counselors feeling overwhelmed, reactive, and stretched thin.

In this episode of Counselor Chat, I'm breaking down MTSS for Behavior (MTSSB) in a clear, practical way that centers teamwork, intentional decision-making, and counselor sustainability.

This conversation moves away from compliance and paperwork and toward systems that actually work for students and the adults who support them.

1. What MTSSB really means and why it matters
2. The difference between reacting to behavior and responding intentionally
3. Why behavior decisions should always be team-based
4. How to think about Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports without overwhelm
5. What data-informed decisions look like in real school settings
6. How a clear intervention menu reduces emotional decision-making and burnout

1. Who is currently making Tier 2 behavior decisions in your building?
2. What data are you actually using, and is it useful?
3. Do you have a clear intervention menu, or are you reinventing the wheel each time?

MTSS Behavior Toolkit

Behavior Choice Survey Bundle

Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcast

Join Perks Counseling Club Membership and get the lessons, small group and individual counseling materials you need. Join now and get your first month free when you sign up for 3 months!

Connect with Carol:

• TpT Store
• Counseling Essentials Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Elementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group
• Caught In The Middle School Counselors Facebook Group
• High School Counselor Connection Facebook Group