Inspiring School Counselors

K-12 school counselors help students succeed by working to close academic achievement gaps and grow student social-emotional health, but don’t forget the importance of helping students discover a passion for a future career. Arizona School Counselor of the Year Kristina Guy joins the podcast once again to explain how counselors can better connect students to potential careers.

What if your state decided it was important for EVERY school to have a comprehensive counseling program in place - even if it wasn’t the ASCA National Model - and made it easy for schools to implement the program? That’s the question Indiana posed, and answered, by developing a comprehensive counseling program called Carrying the Torch to Student Success AND developing a free online learning platform so that every school could implement the program. Listen in to hear how Indiana made all of this happen.

Arkansas School Counselor of the Year Christy English shares a hilarious story of the best kindergarten graduation ever (which includes a zebra and a gorilla) and why advocating for your role as a professional school counselor can make a world of difference.

The commonwealth of Virginia’s School Counselor of the Year Christina Tillery is not only going back to college to earn her PhD, she’s also learning how to be a successful school counselor through everyday lessons as a high school counselor. Hear why she says learning is sometimes a “pleasant slap in the face.”

The title of this week’s podcast summarizes the content of a robust conversation with Elementary School Counselor Josh Nelson about several practical resources that can help ANY student succeed. Listen in on this chat with one of the 2023 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year finalists.

Illinois School Counselor of the Year Nancy Fernandez is a living example of how using data can produce benefits for students AND school counseling programs.

The term “small but mighty” could apply to K-2 school counselor Layla Green Touchet who at 5’0” stands tall as the 2022 Louisiana School Counselor of the Year. Layla is a go-getter currently working on her PhD in Counseling while connecting in unique ways with her students, especially those with ADHD and Autism, and even one or two who bite.

Magnolia State School Counselor of the Year Dr. Ebonee Magee-Dorsey grew up in the small town of Monticello, Mississippi and returned to the community nine years ago to expand and transform the school counseling program there. Listen in as she discusses with Inspire Success’ Aimee Portteus her passion, her favorite resources, and her recent frustration with the NFL.

If you need some school counseling time saving tips, scheduling suggestions, and escapism resources to relax after a long day at school, you’ll want to listen in to this engaging podcast with Tennessee School Counselor of the Year Emily Fain Lynch.

For most school counselors, few days go as smoothly as planned. But making the most of the unexpected, including finding a cat in a backpack and learning that a Diet Coke can set off a jail cell alarm, are just a few of the stories Middle School Counselor Danielle Schultz shares with us this week. It’s just another day in the life of a school counselor!