As a school counselor, you’ve likely worked with a student who needed a little sensory support. But how can we help to support these students with sensory issues? Today I am joined by therapist and brain science expert Jessica Sinarski, who is giving us some wonderful insight into the eight senses and helping our students who benefit from various types of sensory input.

Jessica Sinarski is a highly sought-after therapist, speaker, and change-maker. Extensive post-graduate training and 15+ years as a clinician and educator led her to create the resource and training platform–BraveBrains. She makes trauma-sensitive brain science practical, helping parents and professionals unlock resilience in themselves and their students. She is also the author of the award-winning Riley the Brave series, Light Up the Learning Brain, Hello Anger, and more.

Jessica is a wealth of knowledge about supporting our students' sensory needs! In this episode, she is sharing what the eight senses are, signs that a student may need sensory support, and how to add sensory input into the school day. This episode is packed with incredibly helpful information and tips that I know you’ll be able to use with your students who need a little extra support.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/supporting-student-sensory-needs

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Resources Mentioned:

Episode 107, How School Counselor Can Help Kids Feel and Deal with Anger with Jessica Sinarski: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/help-kids-with-anger 

Check out Jessica's website for parents and helping professionals: http://www.JessicaSinarski.com 

Visit the Brave Brains website for counselor toolkits and instructions for purchase orders: https://jessicasinarski.com/edu 

Read the "Understanding the Brain-->Senses-->Behavior Connection" blog: https://bravebrains.com/blog/senses-schools/ 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

You know I am all about showcasing your work and impact as a school counselor! And midyear is the perfect time to do just that. One way I love to show the impact that school counselors make is by including student progress data on a data wall that shows how much students have improved because of counseling services.

Now, this may sound a little intimidating especially as you’re thinking of everything that you need to do midyear, but it can be completely manageable and totally worthwhile! In this episode, I am sharing my two favorite ways to collect student progress data, how to showcase this data on your data wall, and how this data can help you advocate for your role as a school counselor.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/student-progress-using-data-wall

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Resources Mentioned:

Grab the School Counseling Data Wall Template: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Data-Wall-Counseling-Bulletin-Board-8000554

Check out the Editable School Counseling End of the Year Report: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-EDITABLE-End-of-the-Year-Report-3144878 

Episode 169, How to Showcase Your Counseling Services Using a Data Wall: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/services-using-a-data-wall

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

You know I love having other school counselors join me to share their experiences and insight with you! And I thought it would be fun to share my experiences as a school counselor so you can hear a little more about my background and how I got started. Today, I am giving you a glimpse into my path to becoming a school counselor and what my role looked like in my schools.

No two school counselors have the exact same background, experience, or journey school counseling. From not finding a job after graduation to being the school counselor at an international school in Costa Rica and starting Bright Futures Counseling, I have had a unique and amazing journey to where I am now! In this episode, I am sharing my background and roles I had before becoming a school counselor, what I love about being a school counselor, what my days looked like at my previous school, and my best advice for new school counselors.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/my-life-as-a-school-counselor

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Resources Mentioned:

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

Can you believe we are getting close to the end of the semester already? As we approach the midpoint of the school year, this is the perfect time to showcase your amazing work! I absolutely love creating a data wall to show parents, admin, and other stakeholders just how much of an impact school counselors have on the students.

Putting a school counseling data wall up in a high traffic area is a great way to ensure that as many eyes as possible see the impact of your work. One of the things I love to put on the data wall is services provided data. In this episode, I’m diving into what services provided data is, how you can easily gather this data, and why a midyear data checkpoint is beneficial.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/services-using-a-data-wall

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Resources Mentioned:

Grab the School Counseling Data Wall Template: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Data-Wall-Counseling-Bulletin-Board-8000554 

Check out the Editable School Counseling End of the Year Report: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-EDITABLE-End-of-the-Year-Report-3144878 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

When it comes to supporting our kiddos with special needs, there are some things to consider that you may not have thought about. We know these students may need extra support and working collaboratively with the special education teachers can help us understand how to provide this support and ways we can help our students get the most out of our lessons. I am so excited to have Michelle Vazquez joining me to share some insight into how we can work with our special education teachers to best serve our students.

Michelle is a resource specialist & special education teacher that has been working in public schools for almost 14 years in Southern California. She is the host of a top 1.5% ranked podcast called ‘Stepping Into Special Education’. Michelle’s mission is to help special education teachers with strategies & support. In her free time she loves going to Disneyland with her husband & two young boys.

Michelle is sharing some amazing knowledge, insight, and tips on ways we can support our special education students and teachers. In this episode, we are discussing how school counselors can support special education students in whole class, small group, and individual sessions, a simple tool that can help you prepare to best serve your students, and how she likes to communicate with school counselors. 

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/support-special-education-students

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Resources Mentioned:

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Sign up for the FREE Not So Scary Social Skills training: http://stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/scary 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

At this point in the school year, you are likely seeing lots of referrals coming in for social skills. But, teaching social skills can be beneficial for all students, not just the ones being referred to you. I actually LOVE teaching social skills preventatively as a class lesson and then as needed in small group and individual lessons.

Now, you may be a little nervous about coming up with ideas for teaching social skills. That’s okay! I have a whole training for you focused completely on teaching social skills across all 3 tiers so you can teach the skills your students need without the stress of doing it on your own! In this episode, I am sharing a glimpse inside one of the videos from the training where I am covering how to use board games and sorting games to teach social skills in your individual sessions in a fun and meaningful way!

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/social-skills

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Resources Mentioned:

Sign up for the FREE Not So Scary Social Skills training: http://stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/scary 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

Teaching small groups doesn’t have to be scary! When you have a consistent routine and amazing activities planned, small groups can be super fun to teach. But don’t worry, you don’t need to figure it all out on your own. In today’s episode, I am explaining how you can spice up your group counseling sessions so you can engage your students and make your small group lessons effective and fun!

Small groups can be so much fun for you and the students if you do them correctly. The good news is there is a simple group session outline you can follow to make each session impactful and engaging! I know how challenging it can be to come up with ideas for lessons so I am sharing my favorite ways to teach group lessons, ideas for each part of the session, and tips to make your groups engaging and fun for both you and the students!

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/small-group-lessons

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Resources Mentioned:

Sign up for the FREE Not So Scary Social Skills training: http://stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/scary 

Grab the Feelings Check Freebie: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Feelings-Check-2827761 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Grab your FREE Vision Guide: https://www.teachingmindbodyandsoul.com/vision 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

October is Bully Prevention Month and unfortunately we all know that bullying is everywhere. Regardless of the socio economic status of the school, population, or even the country of the school, there is likely bullying happening. The good news is that we, as school counselors, can address this issue with our students and help to bring awareness to the harm of bullying and hopefully prevent it from happening.

Now, you don’t always need to teach the same general bullying prevention lesson to every class or every group. There are topics you can narrow in on to make a bigger impact on your students byu addressing the issues they are actually dealing with. In this episode, I am breaking down ways you can teach about cyberbullying, lesson ideas to address relational aggression bullying, and activity ideas for how to put a fun Halloween twist on your school wide bullying prevention lessons.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/bullying-prevention-ideas

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Resources Mentioned:

Sign up for the FREE Not So Scary Social Skills training: http://stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/scary 

Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ 

ASCA Awareness Calendar: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/dd5fdee1-e207-4178-ab42-0c8cfaae9f31/awareness-calendar.pdf?sso= 

Stop Bullying Website: https://www.stopbullying.gov/ 

Relational Aggression Activity Pack: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Relational-Aggression-and-Bullying-Counseling-Activities-Girls-Guide-to-Bullying-2921915 

Relational Aggression Small Group Activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Relational-Aggression-Small-Group-ASCA-CASEL-Aligned-fallcounselingfaves-9052192 

Bullying Prevention School Wide Activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Prevention-School-Wide-Activities-fallcounselingfaves-3411872 

Bullying Prevention Halloween Board Game: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Prevention-Halloween-Board-Game-School-Counseling-Fall-Game-3411845 

National Bullying Prevention Center: https://www.pacer.org/bullying/ 

Bullying Prevention Charades Game: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bullying-Prevention-Game-Salad-Bowl-Charades-School-Counseling-Game-4410301 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Grab your FREE Vision Guide: https://www.teachingmindbodyandsoul.com/vision 

School Counseling Referral Form: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Referral-Form-2759148 

School Counseling Data Collection Spreadsheets: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Data-Collection-Spreadsheets-Caseload-and-Counseling-Log-7485732 

School Counseling Self-Assessments Super Bundle with Digital Data Tracking Forms: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Self-Assessments-Super-Bundle-with-Digital-Data-Tracking-Forms-7615254 

Data Collection Behavior Surveys: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Data-Collection-Behavior-Surveys-School-Counseling-Data-Tracking-Forms-5221301 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

It’s spooky season which means it’s the perfect time to bring some Halloween and fall fun into your counseling lessons! Our kiddos absolutely love when we bring in props and tie the seasons into our lessons. Plus, it makes our lessons more memorable and engaging. And the best part is it doesn’t need to be complicated or take lots of time to prepare!

There are super simple and fun ways you can incorporate fall fun into your counseling lessons. Whether you are looking to mix up your class, small group, or even one-on-one lessons, I have some engaging, low prep ways to bring a little fall flair into your counseling lessons. In this episode, I am sharing my favorite ways of incorporating spooky season into my lessons with minimal props and very little prep! 

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/fall-fun-in-school-counseling

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Resources Mentioned:

Sign up for the FREE Not So Scary Social Skills training: http://stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/scary 

5 Ways to Use Halloween Candy Buckets in School Counseling: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/blog/2018/10/3/5-ways-to-use-halloween-candy-buckets-in-school-counseling 

Grab the Self-Regulation and Size of the Problem Fall Games, Activities, and Worksheets: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Self-Regulation-and-Size-of-the-Problem-Fall-Games-Activities-and-Worksheets-4085458 

Episode 63, Create Counseling Games with Halloween Candy Buckets: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/halloween-candy-buckets 

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Grab your FREE Vision Guide: https://www.teachingmindbodyandsoul.com/vision 

School Counseling Referral Form: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Referral-Form-2759148 

School Counseling Data Collection Spreadsheets: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Data-Collection-Spreadsheets-Caseload-and-Counseling-Log-7485732 

School Counseling Self-Assessments Super Bundle with Digital Data Tracking Forms: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/School-Counseling-Self-Assessments-Super-Bundle-with-Digital-Data-Tracking-Forms-7615254 

Data Collection Behavior Surveys: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Data-Collection-Behavior-Surveys-School-Counseling-Data-Tracking-Forms-5221301 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971

We’ve all heard about how important it is for educators to practice self-care, especially in the past few years. But oftentimes when we hear “self-care” we think of it as indulgent or selfish. What we as school counselors really need is true, radical self-care that will help us prevent burnout. Brittany Blackwell is joining me today to share some incredible insight on the importance of practicing radical self-care.

Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed. is an award-winning special educator, podcast host of "The Resilient Teacher Podcast", and teacher resilience strategist from South Carolina with over ten years of experience working with elementary and middle school classrooms.  Brittany is no stranger to teacher burnout and has a passion for empowering teachers and educational leaders to prioritize their mental health and develop individualized sustainable resilience & recovery plans to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and create the life you’ve been dreaming about! 

Brittany's digital approach to self-care and resilience through digital planning, vision planning, and sustainable strategies has reached the homes of thousands of educators across the world.  Also known as "MsPrincessTeach" on Tiktok, Brittany's social media following grew through her fast-paced, lighthearted tutorials and humorous real life experiences.  Brittany helps teachers create their own Individualized Resilience Plan by providing sustainable strategies, personalized coaching, mindset shifting, and digital resources to reduce stress, automate the mundane tasks of teaching, and prevent overall teacher burnout.  Her approach gives support so that educators can maximize fulfillment and effectiveness in their personal and professional lives.

If you’ve experienced burnout or overwhelmed, you are absolutely not alone but there are things you can do to help take care of your wellbeing and mental health. In this episode, Brittany is sharing what the stress cycle is and how to complete it, why we should automate our systems, and the importance of setting boundaries in both your personal and work life. You’ll walk away from this episode feeling validated and encouraged plus have some great tips to help you practice radical self-care!

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/radical-self-care

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Resources Mentioned:

Join the IMPACT Membership: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/impact 

Grab your FREE Vision Guide: https://www.teachingmindbodyandsoul.com/vision 

Enroll in the Stress-Free School Counseling Course: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/enroll

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Connect with Rachel:

Shop: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Bright-Futures-Counseling

Blog: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightfuturescounseling/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473191466030095

If you are enjoying School Counseling Simplified please follow and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/school-counseling-simplified-podcast/id1534494971