This December, we’re celebrating the season with some of the best episodes of School Counseling Simplified! Today, we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes all about different ways we can teach unhealthy vs. healthy relationships. 

The new year is coming sooner than we think and then soon after it will be February! February is full of exciting opportunities for school counselors, from National School Counseling Week to Valentine’s Day! It’s also the perfect time to teach students about healthy relationships and friendships. Many students may not have examples of positive relationships in their lives, making it essential to equip them with the knowledge and skills to build healthy connections. In this episode, I share Valentine’s-themed activities that make teaching this topic both fun and impactful. You’ll hear why it’s important to address healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, creative activity ideas, and tips for implementing them without added stress.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Why teaching healthy relationships and friendships is critical for students.

• Examples of Valentine’s-themed activities to make lessons engaging.

• Simple strategies to implement these activities with ease.

Tune in for practical tips and inspiration to help your students build positive connections!

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

This December, we’re celebrating the season with some of the best episodes of School Counseling Simplified! Today, we’re revisiting an insightful conversation with Joyce Harduvel, a licensed clinical social worker and certified school social work specialist. Joyce brings her wealth of experience from working with students of all ages in Chicago Public Schools to share practical trauma-informed practices for school counselors. She discusses how trauma impacts students' ability to learn, provides strategies for addressing pushback from teachers and parents, and offers actionable advice for supporting students who have experienced trauma in meaningful ways.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Joyce's background as a school social worker and her work in Chicago Public Schools.

• Examples of how childhood trauma may present in students and effective ways to respond.

• Strategies for addressing resistance from teachers and parents.

• Understanding how trauma affects a student’s ability to learn and ways to provide support.

Be sure to listen for practical tips and check the show notes for additional resources to help you support your students. 

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

This December, we’re bringing you the best of School Counseling Simplified as a holiday treat! In today’s throwback episode, we revisit a fan-favorite conversation from 2023 with Chrissy Nichols, a life coach for educators. If you’re feeling burned out or overwhelmed, this episode is for you. Chrissy shares simple yet powerful mindset shifts designed to help school teachers and counselors reduce stress, rediscover their passion for their work, and create more balance in their lives. Drawing from her experience as a teacher in public and international schools, Chrissy offers actionable advice to help “the helpers” prioritize their well-being and thrive in their roles.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Time Power: Strategies for reclaiming control over your schedule and to-do list.

• Body Balance: Tips for prioritizing your physical and mental health to prevent burnout.

• Relationship Work: Insights on building stronger connections to foster a supportive environment.

Be sure to check the show notes for more resources and visit Chrissy's website at https://www.thechrissyconcept.com/ . 

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

• Check out Chrissy’s website here!

• Check out Marie’s book here!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

This December, we’re revisiting some of the most impactful episodes of School Counseling Simplified as a special holiday treat! In today’s throwback to episode 132, I dive into practical strategies for helping students resolve conflicts and develop healthy mediation skills. From whole-class lessons to individual interventions, this episode provides valuable tools for equipping students with effective communication techniques and fostering a more peaceful school environment.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Tier 1 Strategies: Teaching "I" statements during class lessons, role-playing conflict scenarios, and displaying "I" statement posters in common areas.

• Tier 2 Strategies: Implementing Kelso’s Choices curriculum for small groups, identifying conflict starters, and discussing qualities of peacekeepers.

• Tier 3 Strategies: Using hands-on activities like the "Pause it and Resolve it" board game to support individual students in conflict resolution.

Read below for resources and links to support your school counseling practice!

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

• Check out the Kelso’s Choice Youtube video here!

• Grab the Pirates and Peacekeepers lesson!

• Link to my middle school conflict resolution activity!

• Grab the Pause it and Resolve it boardgame!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

Can you believe it is almost December? The countdown to winter break is on. I absolutely love this time of year. Everything is so fun and festive, especially at the elementary level. I’m always trying to think of ways that I can put a seasonal twist on counseling activities to keep your students (and you) engaged.

At the same time, I always had the problem of “frequent flyers” popping up. You know the ones. The kids who are always stopping by wanting to chat instead of going to their classroom. I used to think I just needed to rush them back to their classroom as quickly as possible. However, I realized over time they were stopping by to see me for a reason. They wanted to build a relationship with me and I didn’t want to dismiss that.

While I wanted them to feel welcome in my office and comfortable with me, I also wanted to make our time together purposeful...especially if they were missing class. Over time, I thought of some fun ways that I could accomplish this. Since it’s the winter season, I created my “Countdown to Winter Break Interactive Calendar”. 

In this episode, I’ll explain exactly how this calendar works and even how you can DIY one. If you create a countdown calendar of your own, snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @brightfuturescounseling so that I can see the final product!

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Purposeful bonding activities leading up to the Winter season

• Interactive calendar activities to countdown to Winter break

• Winter themed counseling activities to do with drop-in students

• Supplemental activities leading up to Winter break

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

• Check out this Winter Themed Counseling SEL Activity Pack

• Countdown to Winter Break Activities

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

In this episode, I explore ways school counselors can help parents implement practical Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies at home. By building rapport with families and providing simple, screen-free activities, parents can support their children's emotional growth outside of school. I discuss using SEL choice boards, which offer a variety of activities for students to choose from, giving them ownership and encouraging skill development in a fun, engaging way. Plus, I share a variety of mindfulness, gratitude, stress relief, self-esteem, and self-regulation techniques that parents can easily integrate into their daily routines.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Mindfulness Activities: Deep belly breaths, butterfly breaths, 5 senses check-in, and guided meditations.

• Gratitude Practices: Scavenger hunts, letter writing, and creating gratitude lists.

• Stress Relief Ideas: Making stress balls, visualizing favorite places, and going for walks or runs.

• Boosting Self-Esteem: Collage-making with affirmations, writing songs, and painting future self-portraits.

• Self-Regulation Techniques: Acting out emotions, creating coping strategy toolboxes, and practicing deep breaths with a balloon.

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

• Check out this blog post on learning without screen time!

• Grab the counselor curriculum map freebie here!

• Grab the choice board, as mentioned in this episode, here!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

In this episode of School Counseling Simplified, I am sharing practical strategies for supporting and building rapport with school administrators. As a key stakeholder group, administrators play a crucial role in the success of a school counseling program. I am outlinging four (plus one bonus) strategies that counselors can use to effectively collaborate with their administrative team, including conducting needs assessments, utilizing data-driven check-ins, discussing school-wide initiatives, and engaging in big picture planning. By implementing these approaches, school counselors can strengthen their relationships with administrators and ensure their programs are aligned with the school's overall goals and priorities.

Here are some highlights from this episode: - Strategies for building rapport and working effectively with school administrators

• Conducting needs assessments with administrators to identify high-need areas
• Using data-driven check-ins to address achievement gaps, attendance issues, academic problems, and behavior concerns
• Discussing school-wide initiatives like career fairs and parent workshops with administrators
• Engaging in big picture planning to align on counseling program goals for the year
• Advocating for the school counselor's role and communicating the impact of their work

Listen in to the full episode and learn more.

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• Grab My free Curriculum Map

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

This episode of School Counseling Simplified is all about building strong relationships with teachers. I am sharing four practical strategies that school counselors can use to collaborate more effectively with the teachers in their building. From conducting needs assessments to offering supplemental lessons and organizing fun staff activities, I'm providing you with a roadmap for strengthening those crucial counselor-teacher partnerships.

Some highlights from this episode:

• The Importance of a needs assessment to understand what teachers are struggling with and how you can best support them.

• Offering "as-needed" counseling lessons on specific topics is a great way to provide just-in-time support for teachers and students.

• Building rapport through self-care activities and simply being present in the teacher's lounge can go a long way in showing teachers you're on their team.

• Pro Tip: Counselors get out of your office and be more visible around campus to strengthen relationships with teachers.

Listen in to hear the full episode!

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

October is Bullying prevention month. I couldn't let the month get past without touching on the importance of teaching students to be "upstanders" as a key bullying prevention strategy. I am introducing the concept of an upstander as someone who witnesses bullying and intervenes to stop it, in contrast to a bystander who does nothing.We will discuss the benefits of empowering students to be upstanders, including preventing future bullying, supporting targets, and reducing bullying-related anxiety and depression. I will also touch on several teaching strategies for introducing the upstander concept, such as traditional lessons, interactive games, and digital resources.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• Learning the importance of teaching students the different roles in bullying (bully, target, bystander) and avoiding stigmatizing language like "victim."

• Diving deeper on the concept of an upstander is defined as someone who witnesses bullying and intervenes to stop it, in contrast to a bystander.

• Highlighting the numerous benefits of teaching upstanders as a highly empowering bullying prevention 

• Teaching methods, including lessons, games, Boom Cards, and videos, to introduce and reinforce the upstander concept.

Listen in and see what you can implement before the month is over! 

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

• Check out this Upstander blog

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!

Halloween is just around the corner, and I know you are looking for fun and engaging ways to incorporate the season into your lessons and activities.

In this episode, I'm sharing 5 creative ways you can use Halloween candy buckets to liven up your counseling sessions. From identifying and changing negative thoughts to practicing self-regulation, these activities are sure to get your students excited and eager to participate.

Grab your pumpkin-shaped buckets and get ready for some spooky counseling fun!

Some things covered in this episode are: 

• Using candy buckets to sort negative and positive thoughts, helping students reframe their mindsets

• Sorting "tattling" vs. "reporting" scenarios to teach appropriate communication

• Exploring growth mindset vs. fixed mindset by categorizing statements into corresponding buckets

• Practicing problem-solving skills by sorting problems into "tiny," "small," "medium," "big," and "huge" buckets

• Utilizing the color-coded "zones" of self-regulation by sorting feelings and behaviors into the appropriate buckets

I'm giving you all the detailed instructions and examples for each of these engaging activities, making it easy for you to implement in your counseling sessions. I would love to see you to share your experiences on social media, and tag me @BrightFuturescounseling for a chance to inspire others.

 Whether you're looking to add a seasonal twist to your lessons or simply want to try something new and interactive, these Halloween candy bucket activities are sure to be a hit with your students. Tune in to learn more and get ready to spookify your counseling sessions!

Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

• 5 Ways to Use Halloween Buckets- Blog

• If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest 

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!