School Counselor Blog

Setting up a school counseling office can be a daunting task, especially for new school counselors. I am providing you with a series of tips to help you set up your new school counseling office or revamp the space that you already have. When you are planning the layout for your school counseling office think of all of the things you want students to be able to do in your office.  Thinking about what students will be doing in your office will help you plan out your space. I have run many, many groups in my time as a school counselor. When configuring my school counseling space making room for groups was always my top priority. Below are my recommendations for creating a great group counseling space in your school counseling office. I will highlight the group spaces I have had over the years and show you how I used the above tips and give you some additional tips along the way. 2011-2012 School Counseling Office In my most recent office I did not have very ...

Setting up a school counseling office can be a daunting task, especially for new school counselors. I am providing you with a series of tips to help you set up your new school counseling office or revamp the space that you already have. I have received lots of questions about items on the walls in my previous school counseling offices. In this post I will highlight some of the items that are most asked about.  Confidentiality Banner and Group Banner In the picture below I have two of the most asked about items in my from my school counseling office.  The "What You Say in Here, Stays in Here" banner and the banner I use for my "rules" in my office. I created both of the banners using  VistaPrint . Both banners are also available for purchase in the  School Counselor Blog Store . I love having these posters in my office.  The  "What You Say in Here, Stays in Here"  banner serves as a great reminder to students about confid...

Setting up a school counseling office can be a daunting task, especially for new school counselors. I am providing you with a series of tips to help you set up your new school counseling office or revamp the space that you already have. If you are like most school counselors, you probably cannot paint your walls. You can brighten up your school counseling office by adding colorful storage and accessories - even if you are stuck with a drab wall color.  I will recommend some items you can use to add color to your office and highlight some of the storage items I have used specifically. I recommend sticking with a few bold colors to create a cohesive look for your office. Colorful baskets and bins are a great way to stay organized and add color to your office.  I do the majority of my shopping at Target, so when I saw a colorful basket or a bin on clearance I snagged it! In the picture above I used a green plastic basket to store nerf balls...

Setting up a school counseling office can be a daunting task, especially for new school counselors. I am going to provide you with a series of tips to help you set up your new school counseling office or revamp the space that you already have. I have had multiple school counseling offices of varying sizes - everything from a windowless room to a small classroom!  Whether you are lucky to have lots of room or are squeezed in to a few square feet, the space you have is precious. I believe in maximizing every inch of it! :) *Note: The pictures you see below are a combination from different offices that I have had over the years... they are not all pictures of the same space. Windows Windows and window coverings are underutilized office spaces.  In my school counseling office I made the most of both.  Windows can be used to display student work like in the picture below. I showcased my  Children of Incarcerated Parents  group's  Goal Mountain ...

I have shared many times how much I absolutely love the Teaching Tolerance website.  They have soooo many great activities and lessons , many of which I have used in my work as a school counselor. One of my favorite parts of the Teaching Tolerance Magazine (that educators can receive for FREE)  is the "One World" poster at the back.  The "One World" posters are always so beautiful and have such a great message.  I was so excited to learn yesterday that Teaching Tolerance has select  "One World" posters  available for you to download on their website for FREE!  The image quality is great so you can get them printed to up to 11" x 17" size to hang in your school counseling office or somewhere in your school!  You can also do a search and find other smaller "One World" posters available to download for FREE! This "One World" poster below reminded me of the work we do as school counselors. Which Teaching Tolera...

This is my first post in my effort to share more ideas with you! You didn't think MORE ideas were possible, right? ;) A  School Counselor Blog Facebook Page  fan asked me about an image I shared awhile back. It was a picture of students holding up a chalkboard sign with what they want to be when they grow up. Source:   christinekay.com   via   School Counselor Blog   on   Pinterest I can't remember where I first saw this. I swear I saw it on Scholastic's Facebook page... but regardless I pinned it because I totally loved this picture and this idea! This idea would be great as a bulletin board or display at your school! If I was working in a school this year I would love do to this... but as most of you know I am going back to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D . So.... To create a DIY version of this you could take pictures of students holding a chalkboard, whiteboard, or even a piece of paper with their future career choice written...