Counselor Chat Podcast

December in schools hits different.

The schedules are off. The kids are buzzing. The teachers are exhausted. And counselors are somehow expected to be part Santa, part therapist, and part crisis manager… all before lunch.

If your December feels especially full, you are not imagining it.

In this week’s episode of Counselor Chat, I’m sharing The School Counselor’s Holiday Survival Guide. It’s a realistic, no-pressure conversation about how to get through this season without losing your sanity or your joy.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why December feels so intense for school counselors
• How to simplify lessons and expectations without guilt
• What to do when plans constantly change
• Setting boundaries that protect your energy and still support your school
• Supporting students who struggle emotionally during the holidays
• Finding small moments of calm and joy for yourself

One of my favorite reminders from this episode is this:

If you’ve been feeling tired, stretched thin, or like you’re barely keeping up, this episode is your permission slip to simplify and take care of yourself, too.

Mentioned in this episode:

Perks Membership

December brings a special kind of school chaos. Schedules shift. Energy skyrockets. Teachers and students feel stretched. And counselors often find themselves trying to hold it all together.

In this episode, I am sharing simple ways to stay grounded, centered, and calm during one of the busiest months of the school year.

• Common early signs of counselor burnout

 • Why noticing burnout is an act of wisdom, not weakness

 • Easy micro practices that take 30 seconds to 2 minutes

 • A guided one-minute breathing reset you can use anytime

 • How to let go of perfection and choose simplicity

 • Ways to weave calm moments into your day without adding tasks

"You are doing enough. You are enough, and you are allowed to rest."

December may be busy, but you do not have to absorb all the chaos around you. Take a pause, take a breath, and give yourself permission to rest. You are doing more good than you know.

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

December can feel like a whirlwind in schools, which makes it the perfect time to slow down and center students in one of the most grounding SEL themes we have: gratitude.

In this episode, I am sharing simple, meaningful ways to introduce gratitude to students of all ages, plus ideas for weaving it into your counseling program throughout the whole month.

• Why gratitude boosts mood, relationships, and academic outcomes

• How gratitude connects to all five CASEL competencies

• How I use the book Last Stop on Market Street to introduce perspective and meaning

• Reflection questions that help deepen student understanding

• My daily Witness Moment practice and how students can create gratitude snapshots

• A gratitude acorn activity that helps younger students understand growth

• A powerful gratitude cross the line lesson for older students

• Schoolwide ideas: gratitude walls, gratitude grams, morning announcements

• How to track simple Tier 1 data when implementing gratitude centered lessons

"It can start off tiny, just like an acorn, but gratitude has a way of growing into something great."

As we close out the year, gratitude becomes a beautiful reminder of why we do this work. Whether it is an acorn on the wall, a hallway display, or a quiet moment in your office, I hope you always find ways to grow gratitude in your school this season.

Resources Mentioned:

Last Stop On Market Street

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

Right before Thanksgiving, in the middle of progress reports, last-minute meetings, and all the pumpkin spice in the world, it can be easy to miss the small moments that actually fuel us.

This episode is a gentle pause.

 A breath.

 A circle of gratitude created for you.

I asked counselors in my Facebook groups what they are most grateful for, and their answers were pure joy, connection, and heart. Today I am sharing their stories, along with a few of my own, as a reminder that even in the chaos, the work you do every day truly matters.

• Why the weeks before Thanksgiving feel especially heavy
• The power of stopping to notice the good
• A collective gratitude circle filled with counselor shared moments
• Students choosing time with their counselor as their reward
• Kids using calm down strategies and repeating your words back to you
• When a student calls you their trusted adult
• Why small wins often matter the most
• Real stories of connection from counselors across the country
• A quick 30 second gratitude practice you can do anytime
• Simple ideas to keep the gratitude going at school

“Emotional safety is such a quiet form of love, and when kids choose to show up in your space, that is gratitude in motion.”

Take a moment today to name one thing you are grateful for in your work, with no posting or documenting, just a quiet acknowledgment of a meaningful moment.

You are the safe space.

 You are the trusted adult.

 You are the calm in the storm.

And that is something to be profoundly grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving, counselor friends. I appreciate you more than you know. 💛

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

In this week's podcast we look at pre-holiday behavior spikes through a problem-solving lens. Instead of “How do we punish this?” we ask, “What skill is missing?” She models restorative conversations, shares reflection tools that build self-awareness, and walks through calm-down strategies that help students regulate before you problem-solve.

Key takeaways

• Behavior = communication. Shift from “what’s wrong with the student?” to “what’s happening for the student?”
• Use restorative approaches: understand harm, take responsibility, repair relationships, restore trust.
• Reflection > reaction: guided behavior reflection sheets connect thoughts, feelings, needs, and next steps.
• Regulation first: you can’t consequence a child into calm; teach calming tools, then problem-solve.
• Mindset shift: connection before correction; growth over guilt.

Try-it-now tools

Restorative questions:

• What happened? • What were you thinking/feeling? • Who was affected & how? • What makes it right? • What will you do next time?

Behavior Reflection prompts:

• Trigger • Feeling • Need • Better choice next time • Who to repair with & how (what a real apology looks/sounds like).

Calm-down strategies:

• Square/5-finger breathing, grounding (5–4–3–2–1), movement/water break, sensory tools (rings, stress balls), feelings check-ins/thermometers.

Scenario highlight

• “Jayden in the line”: Instead of office + lecture, Carol uses a brief restorative chat/circle + reflection sheet to move from guilt to growth and repair.

Counselor moves to start this week

1. Model restorative conversations (skip “Why did you do that?”).
2. Teach emotion language (feeling wheels, visuals, daily check-ins).
3. Build a Behavior Reflection Toolkit for you and teachers.

Quote to remember

Connect

• Follow Carol on IG: @counselingessentials
• Share what’s in your calm-down kit and tag the show!

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

How do we help students stand by their values even when doing so might cost them friends?

In this week’s episode, I'm sharing how a simple story—The Fall Festival Dilemma—sparked powerful conversations about honesty, belonging, and integrity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to use moral dilemmas to help students reflect on their values
• Ways to move from “teaching right and wrong” to helping kids live their beliefs
• Discussion prompts that build empathy, courage, and critical thinking
• How to connect values lessons to ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors and CASEL’s Responsible Decision-Making competency
• Why standing up for what’s right helps students develop confidence and character

💡 Quote of the Episode:

The Fall Festival Dilemma

Perks Content Club

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

October might be over, but kindness shouldn’t be. In this week’s episode, I’m sharing how restorative practices can take your school from reactive to relational — and how simple daily routines can build a culture where students feel safe, seen, and supported.

Restorative practices aren’t about punishment; they’re about connection. When we focus on building relationships first, we prevent harm — and when harm does happen, we know how to repair it with empathy and understanding.

I’ll walk you through what this looks like at each tier — from morning greetings and check-ins to community circles and peer mediation programs — so you can start building a stronger sense of belonging right where you are.

✨ In this episode, I share:

• Simple ways to weave restorative practices into your daily routines
• How to use greetings, check-ins, and circles to strengthen relationships
• What each tier of restorative practice looks like in action
• Why reflection, not punishment, leads to lasting behavior change
• How connection and accountability go hand in hand

If you’ve been looking for a way to take your anti-bullying work beyond October, this episode will help you do just that — one greeting, one circle, one conversation at a time.

Because when we build connection into every day, kindness becomes who we are, not just what we do. 💛

Links Mentioned:

Community Circles Beginning Bundle

Community Circles Self-Awareness Bundle

Community Circles Self-Management Bundle

Community Circles Social-Awareness Bundle

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

October is packed—Red Ribbon Week, conferences, spirit days, and of course, Bullying Prevention Month. But if we really want to create schools where students feel safe, seen, and supported, our work has to go deeper than themed t-shirts and hashtag campaigns.

In this episode, I’m sharing how to build an anti-bullying culture that lasts long after October ends — one rooted in empathy, connection, and consistency.

Here’s what I’ll walk you through:

• 🌱 What a real anti-bullying culture looks like
• 🧭 How to weave kindness and empathy into Tier 1 classroom lessons
• 💬 Creative Tier 2 ideas like Kindness Clubs and leadership groups
• 🏫 Whole-school strategies that make kindness part of your school’s DNA
• 📊 Why data matters—and how to show that kindness work truly changes climate

Because awareness is great, but awareness alone doesn’t change behavior. Culture does.

My favorite reminder from this episode:

So grab your coffee (and maybe a donut if you have one), and let’s talk about how to make kindness stick all year long.

Links Mentioned:

Building Champions Small Group

Top Secret Kindness Club Small Group

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

In this episode of Counselor Chat, I’m sharing one of my favorite fall-inspired lessons — what I like to call The Candy Corn Principle.

You know how people either love or hate candy corn? Well, the same goes for our work as school counselors. No matter how much heart, effort, or intention we pour into our programs, not everyone is going to love what we do — and that’s okay.

In this episode, I’m talking about why trying to please everyone can leave you burned out and how to stay focused on what truly matters: making a difference for your students.

Here’s what I’ll walk you through:

• 🎯 The real reason people-pleasing feels so natural (and so exhausting)
• 🧭 How to protect your time and purpose with healthy boundaries
• 💬 Calm, professional ways to say “no” without guilt
• 💡 Why consistency earns respect faster than trying to please everyone
• ❤️ How to shift from seeking approval to staying aligned with your mission

My favorite reminder from this episode:

So grab your coffee (and maybe a handful of candy corn), and join me for a sweet little reminder that your value isn’t defined by how many people approve — it’s measured by the difference you make every single day.

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

In honor of Bullying Prevention Month, I'm exploring how counselors can help students move beyond “Don’t be a bully” to living empathy through meaningful, collaborative kindness projects.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The difference between teaching empathy and practicing it
• Simple schoolwide projects that create a culture of kindness:
• Classroom extensions like kindness tickets, secret kindness agents, and gratitude postcards

Lead with empathy — not just awareness. Don’t just define kindness. Show it. Celebrate it. Let it grow.

Resources mentioned:

Where Oliver Fits Lesson

Books Mentioned:

The Kindness Quilt

Kindness Grows

Where Oliver Fits

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