Podcasts about school counselors

Most school counselors plan their programs in the same order they were taught: start with the data, identify the need, choose the intervention, and try to make the model fit.But that's exactly why so many carefully built plans fall apart by October.In this episode, Steph explains why school counselors may be planning their programs backwards — and the two questions that should come before goals, calendars, initiatives, or action plans.Because the goal is not to reach May with the most comprehensive school counseling program.It is to reach May still recognizing yourself in the work you do each day.********"Best Year Ever!" happens July 21-24. Get your ticket today.********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Some days as a school counselor, you leave work feeling like you've changed a life. Other days you're wondering if graduate school somehow forgot to mention this part of the job.In this episode, we're introducing a brand-new segment: Stories from the Trenches. Laugh along with us as we read your submissions, share our own reactions, and invite you to play along with our new "Pick Your Response" moments. Whether you're choosing between staying professional or questioning your life choices, we promise you'll see yourself somewhere in the answers.So grab your coffee, buckle up for the commute, and remember: you are definitely not the only counselor wondering, "Did that really just happen?"Have a story from the trenches? We'd love to hear it! Send us your funniest, most unbelievable, "you had to be there" school counseling moments. Your story might just be featured in a future episode (anonymously, of course). Emails us at stories@counseloraccents.com

Most school counselors can describe what they do all day.Crisis response. Small groups. Student check-ins. Parent calls. Schedule changes. Behavior support. Data meetings. The fifty small things that happen before 9:00 a.m.But ask a school counselor what makes them remarkable, and things can get quiet fast.In this episode, Steph talks about why it can be so hard to name the specific instincts, patterns, and abilities that make you unusually effective in your role. This is not about generic compliments or personality quizzes. It is about learning to identify the thing you do in a way almost nobody else on your campus can.You'll hear why confidence in your own ability actually changes what you do on campus, and why using what you're good at is completely different from just knowing it exists. You'll also hear how years of being second-guessed or undervalued can make you stop seeing what is remarkable about you at all.You'll hear three places your remarkable work may be hiding: interpersonal skill, data and pattern recognition, and the counseling approaches you naturally reach for when the work gets real.Because if you cannot name your value, the system will keep naming it for you.This episode will help you start answering a question most school counselors have never been asked directly:What makes you a remarkable school counselor?********"Best Year Ever!" happens July 21-24. Get your ticket today.********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Talking about suicide can feel overwhelming, but avoiding the conversation isn't the answer.This week on the Counselor Accents Podcast, we're thrilled to welcome back our longtime friend, Steve Sharp! In fact, Steve officially holds the record for the most appearances on the podcast, and every time he's joins us, we leave challenged, encouraged, and equipped. This time, he's joined by his coauthor, Dr. Perri Rosen, to discuss their book, Lives Worth Living: Applying Zero Suicide as a Prevention Approach for Schools.Before we jump in, a little behind-the-scenes confession: We recorded this conversation back in November, and during a little summer cleanup of our podcast files, we realized this gem had somehow never made it to you! We couldn't let that happen, because the wisdom in this conversation is just as timely today.Together, we explore how schools can move beyond simply responding to crises and instead build systems that promote hope, connection, and safety for every student. Steve and Perri share practical strategies for implementing the Zero Suicide framework in schools, discuss the importance of collaboration and early intervention, and offer tangible ways counselors can lead meaningful change on their campuses.This conversation isn't about fear. It's about hope. It's about creating schools where every student feels seen, supported, and reminded that their life has immeasurable value.Whether you're a school counselor, administrator, psychologist, or anyone who works with students, you'll walk away with practical ideas, fresh perspective, and renewed confidence to help build a culture of care in your school.We're so glad we rediscovered this conversation, and we think you'll be glad we did too.

Join Cher's Hope Notes newsletter and start your free Solution-Focused  3-day training here: https://www.thefocusedmindset.com/leadwithhopechallenge  Cher shares her personal journey of alignment and attitude, and shares what she learned on the road to her recognition as a finalist for the 2027 California School Counselor of the Year, emphasizing the importance of deliberate attitude and alignment in professional and personal life. In her preparation to apply for RAMP, the power of alignment became more important than ever! Hear how this all comes together in this episode.  TEDx: How to Lead with Hope: Solution Focused Conversation Navigation https://youtu.be/Am3ZoF53BS0?si=ZaflEtnhsdjgJ2oN Instagram: Cher Kretz The Focused Mindset Podcast https://www.instagram.com/cherkretz_thefocusedmindset/ TikTok: @Cher Kretz The Focused Mindset https://www.tiktok.com/@cherkretz?lang=en Tip Jar:  Your generous support helps me create more free resources and keep this podcast going strong. Thank you. https://thefocusedmindset.ck.page/products/tips-4-cher  Key topics Authenticity and its impact on relationships The importance of alignment in personal and professional life How to deliberately choose and practice a positive attitude The significance of authenticity in achieving recognition Strategies for maintaining alignment in challenging situations  

Last week, we looked at what happens when schools finally put a price tag on the mental health fallout of social media.This week, we're looking at the strange second half of that story.If technology is part of the problem... why are some schools turning to even more technology as the solution?Across the country, districts are adopting AI-powered mental health tools that monitor students, flag concerning behavior, and even carry on conversations with kids in emotional distress. The marketing promises earlier intervention, greater access, and support at scale.But what does the evidence actually say?In this episode, we look at the research behind AI mental health tools, a new Nevada law that draws a legal boundary around their use in schools, and why one of the biggest questions facing school counseling today may not be whether AI belongs in our profession- but where the line should be.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Send us Fan Mail After several recent suicides of teens and young adults in my local area, I wanted to talk about the bigger question so many of us are asking: What are we missing?In this episode, I share thoughts from more than 35 years of working with young people, including the need for real connection, emotional regulation, coping skills, school belonging, sleep, trusted adults, and support before a crisis.This is not a conversation about blame. It is a conversation about prevention, connection, and helping young people know they are not alone.If you or someone you love is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress in the U.S., call or text 988, or use chat at 988lifeline.org/chat.   The Resilient Launch is a high-touch coaching program that helps incoming freshmen become more confident, capable, and independent without their parents having to constantly remind, rescue, or step in.Spots are limited for this first round. Join the priority list through the link in the show notes.  Find my podcastEmail me:  ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.comText me:  785-380-2064More information

Social media drama has a price tag now.A Kentucky school district recently settled a lawsuit against social media companies for approximately $27 million, arguing that the platforms helped create a student mental health burden schools have been forced to absorb.But school counselors didn't need a lawsuit to know this was costing something.The screenshots.The group chats.The parent emails.The cyberbullying investigations.The friendship blowups that started online and landed in your office before first period.In this episode, we're looking at what these lawsuits are actually arguing, why the research on social media and student mental health is more complicated than the headlines suggest, and what happens when someone finally starts counting the work school counselors have been absorbing for years.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

In this episode, Becky sits down with Nancy Regas, author and former educator, to discuss her journey from nursing and perinatal education to finding her true calling in high school counseling. Nancy shares profound insights into the role of a school counselor—not just as a scheduler, but as the "hub of the wheel" connecting students, parents, teachers, and administrators. We dive into the essential life skills students need to navigate adulthood, the importance of building sacred, private spaces for communication, and how Nancy's passion for helping students through their most challenging years inspired her to write and narrate her book, The Art of Being a School Counselor. Whether you are an educator, a parent, or a professional looking to improve your communication and listening skills, Nancy's reflections on authenticity and passion offer valuable lessons for any career. OutskirtsPress.com/TheArtofBeingaSchoolCounselor nancyregasvoiceover.com amplifyaudiobooks.com audiobookconnection.com proaudiovoices.com proaudiovoices.app Watch the video interview on YouTube   #Audiobooks #SchoolCounseling #AuthorInterview #Podcast #Education #Storytelling #SelfNarration #ProfessionalDevelopment #AudiobookProduction

I don't buy printable counseling resources anymore.Haven't for years.But to test a theory on the air, I broke that rule. I bought a popular, well-reviewed anxiety resource from one of the big teacher marketplaces and ran my paper test on it live.I expected to find junk.I didn't.It was polished. Thoughtful. Well-organized. It even cited real research.And that's what made the problem harder to ignore.In this episode, I look at what happens when a school counseling resource looks right, sounds right, and checks the boxes we've been told to trust… but still may not contain the thing a student actually needs.This is not a takedown of one creator.It's a closer look at a much bigger question in school counseling:If you took the worksheets away, would there still be an intervention?Fair warning: this one may change how you look at your shelf.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

If somebody else could do exactly what you're doing after reading the same slide deck-Why did you go to grad school? That's the question that hit me after I reviewed a state-sponsored training that handed school counselors a watered-down counseling model and called it evidence-based. And once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. But this episode isn't really about one training. It's about what happens when a profession starts confusing the appearance of counseling with counseling itself: the slides that look clinical, the activities that look like interventions, the worksheets that look like the real thing. I'll give you one simple question to tell the difference.  And fair warning- a lot of your favorite materials won't survive it.[Part 1 of 2. This week, the rule. Next week, the test.]-------Topics: solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC) in schools, evidence-based school counseling, treatment fidelity, the limits of printable counseling resources and TPT materials, and protecting the clinical role of the school counselor.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Noelle shares about her 20 years of experience working as a school counselor and her transition into clinical counseling. She has a passion for helping young people, as well as supporting other counselors. She also shares exciting news about her first book coming out in July, an online resource for counselors, and an in-person conference taking place in October.

In this heartfelt interview, Amy Harksen shares her journey as a school counselor, leader, and advocate for students and staff. Discover practical strategies for building trust, leading teams, and connecting with families to create a positive school culture.

On the last day of school, the district sent an email about spreadsheets.But not one person asked what you needed to do your job better next year.Not what you were seeing.Not what students needed.Not what kept support from reaching kids faster.Just the spreadsheet.There's a name for that kind of silence.This episode is about why nobody asks school counselors what they're observing… and what it costs all campuses when the people seeing the most are treated like support staff instead of strategic professionals.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

A school administrator once told me the reason I couldn't finish a single classroom lesson was because the kids just liked me too much.She meant it as a compliment.  It took me years to understand what it actually revealed.This episode is about the gap between the job we were trained to do and the job we're actually allowed to do. How that gap gets handed to counselors as personal failure. And what happens to a profession- and to the people in it-  when nobody's willing to name that out loud.I'm talking about how I accidentally became a school counselor, what I've had to publicly un-say after saying it to audiences, why so many counselors silently believe they're failing, and the framework I've spent years building in response to all of it.This one is different. And if you've ever sat across from a student carrying something you couldn't have imagined- you'll know exactly why it matters.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Don't Wait Until June: The 3 Pieces of Data You Should Grab Right NowIn this episode of Counselor Chat, we're talking about one of the biggest end-of-year stressors for school counselors: DATA. But instead of overcomplicating things with giant spreadsheets and impossible tracking systems, this episode focuses on the simple, meaningful information that actually matters.If you've ever found yourself in May wondering:“Where did this year go?”“Did I track enough?”“How am I supposed to summarize my counseling program?”…this episode is for you.Carol shares:The 3 pieces of data every school counselor should gather before the year endsWhy simple data is still powerfulEasy ways to use the information you already haveHow stories and student growth make your impact visibleWhy presentation matters when sharing your counseling program with administrators and stakeholdersShe also shares practical examples from her own district counseling program and explains how data can help guide next year's counseling priorities—not just “prove” what you did this year.In This Episode, You'll Learn:✔️ Why more data does NOT always mean better data ✔️ The importance of tracking the scope of your counseling work ✔️ Simple ways to show student growth and outcomes ✔️ Why stories and student quotes matter ✔️ What NOT to do during May survival season

Most school counselors think the new school year starts in August.I don't think it does.I think a huge part of your August gets decided right now… in May… while you're mentally saturated, emotionally exhausted, and trying to crawl to the finish line.Because the things you leave unresolved this time of year have a way of following you right back into the building.The role conversation you keep avoiding.The administrator dynamic you replay in your head at 2 a.m.The resentment.The confidence hit you still haven't fully recovered from.The professional expectations you never actually agreed to but are somehow still responsible for.That stuff doesn't disappear over the summer.It waits for you.In this episode, we're talking about the three decisions that quietly shape your next school year long before summer even starts.Because what you carry into August becomes your August.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Hey there, counselor friend. This is episode 300, and I truly can't believe we've reached 300 episodes of this podcast. Today marks the final episode, and I'm feeling a lot of emotions—but more than anything, I feel content. This podcast has served its purpose, and there are now hours of episodes you can listen to that are designed to help you simplify your life as a school counselor, while also empowering you to feel more confident and prepared in your role. My goal has always been to share the experiences and strategies I've learned along the way—so you can make your day-to-day easier, support more students, and advocate for the important work you do. Whether you've been listening since day one or you're just discovering the podcast, thank you. Truly. Your kind words, emails, and testimonials have shaped this space and made it what it is. I started School Counseling Simplified in October of 2020. At the time, I was a new mom to my first baby, living in San Diego. Now, I have three beautiful children, and we've spent the past few years living in Costa Rica. It's been such an incredible journey, both personally and professionally. When I first started, I didn't even have my IMPACT membership or courses. Watching how those have grown, and the impact they've had over the years, has been so meaningful. I'm going to link some of my favorite episodes below so you can dive in and revisit a few highlights. And if you've found this podcast helpful, I think you would absolutely love my IMPACT membership. It's a supportive community of counselors, with monthly professional development and access to hundreds of resources—all designed to help you feel confident and supported in your role.   Resources Mentioned: Join IMPACT https://brightfutures-counseling.com/pages/podcast 225. Best of SCS: How to Teach Conflict Resolution in Each Tier 226. Best of SCS: Mindset Shifts for School Counselors with Chrissy Nichols 227. Best of SCS: How to Be a Trauma Informed Counselor with Joyce Harduvel 228. Best of SCS: How to Teach Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships 229. Best of SCS: Supporting Title 1 Students and Families with Megan Polk 279. Best of SCS: 5 things I wish I knew when I first started counseling 280. Best of SCS: How to Design Small Group Curriculum That Works 281. Best of SCS: 3 Must-Have Data Tools for Individual Counseling  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!  

Hey there, counselor friend. On today's podcast episode, I want to talk with you about the importance of building community with fellow school counselors. I often hear counselors say they feel like they're on their own island. Many times, you may be the only counselor in your building—or even across multiple buildings. I remember when I worked at an international school, I was the only counselor for the entire district. Sometimes, you just need a sounding board—someone you can go to and ask: Does anyone else feel like this? Is this a good idea? What would you do in this situation? In one of my school districts, we had a monthly collaboration meeting for all counselors, and it was such a valuable time to connect and share ideas. When I created IMPACT, my school counseling membership, I knew I wanted to provide that same sense of community. Each month, we host a Zoom call during lunchtime where we start with a quick feelings check-in and then open the floor for conversation. We talk through tough cases, share what's working, exchange ideas, and simply support one another. Today, I'm sharing a recording from one of our monthly calls to give you a little sneak peek into what these community conversations look like. This one is from October, and I absolutely loved the discussions we had. Resources Mentioned: Join IMPACT 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!  

You're about to get a referral that says:“It's been happening all year.”And somehow… now it's urgent.This episode is about why that happens, and why treating May referrals like October problems will burn you out fast.Because most of what's hitting your desk right now isn't new.It's late.We're talking about: The predictable end-of-year referral surge (and what's actually driving it)  How adult burnout reshapes what gets labeled a “problem”  The one triage question that changes everything And how to protect your time without feeling like you're failing kids You don't need to do more right now.You need to decide better.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

You're doing meaningful work.You're supporting students.You're handling things no one else on campus is equipped to handle.But somehow, when big decisions get made, it's like none of that exists.This episode looks at why that happens... and why it keeps happening.The school counseling profession has made its impact almost impossible to see.So in this episode, we're talking about the visibility problem in school counseling…how confidentiality plays a role in it…and why showing up with passion and position statements isn't enough to protect your position when it matters.Because when the work can't be seen, it can't be defended.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

You know the feeling.The one that says:If you were better at this, it wouldn't be this hard. If you had advocated more effectively, the caseload would be manageable. If you were really cut out for this work, you wouldn't be sitting in your car wondering if you can walk through the doors.That feeling has a name. And it isn't burnout.In this episode, Steph Johnson makes the case- through peer-reviewed research and a story she's never told publicly before- that the school counseling profession systematically produces that feeling. This is what institutional gaslighting looks like. And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.This Isn't Burnout. It's Gaslighting.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

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You're not overwhelmed because there's too much work;You're overwhelmed because too much of it is not your job.You're not saying yes because you "lack boundaries".You're saying yes because, in that moment, saying yes made sense.And that's the problem.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

You sat in the circle.You heard the apology.And you knew… nothing actually changed.Restorative justice can work in schools- the research supports that.But the versions most campuses are implementing...Are something else entirely.Research describes restorative practices as structured, resourced, and time-intensive.What most schools are doing is faster, lighter, and handed off.That's how school counselors end up in the middle of things:Facilitating conversations that aren't meant to be rushedTrying to facilitate a process you were never really trained to leadKnowing the outcome doesn't match what the promises of true restoration, but not having the language to explain why.In this episode, we take a hard look at what restorative justice actually requires... and how to know if your campus is falling short.Because this isn't just about whether you believe in restorative practices.It's about whether what's happening on your campus even matches what the research is measuring-And what that means for the role you're being asked to play.Referred to in this episode:Ep. 191, "Your Campus Runs on a Pyramid of Lies"********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out! Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

There's a reason the same explanation keeps showing up in every staff meeting, every training, every conversation about struggling students.It feels good.Problem is- It wasn't built on evidence.Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs became one of the most widely accepted frameworks in education without ever being meaningfully tested the way we use it. In this episode, we go back to where the pyramid actually came from, walk through what the research has (and hasn't) found, and take a hard look at why it spread anyway.Because if the foundation isn't solid, it doesn't matter how good your intentions are.You're still building on it.Referred to in this episode:Ep. 106, "TPT's Dirty Truths & Why You Need an Evidence-Base"********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.********Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out! This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

At some point, someone has probably told you to “find your why.”I gave that advice last week.I wish I hadn't.In this episode, I'm getting more personal than I ever have on this podcast.I'm sharing what one of the hardest years of my career has done to me physically…what happened when I defaulted to the weakest advice I could have given…and what the research actually says school counselors should be doing when purpose isn't enough to keep you going.If you've been trying to survive this year on nothing but passion and willpower- and it's not working- This one's for you.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

You said yes… then suddenly it was your job.At some point in your career, something changed.You stopped being the person students came to see and started being the person students got sent to.Behavior referrals. Classroom removals. Crisis containment. The emotional labor nobody else knew how to handle.And it happened one "yes" at a time.In this episode, I'm taking a hard look at how school counselors slowly became the system's pressure valve- justified by "trauma-informed care"- and why that shift has fundamentally changed what we're asked to do in school counseling.We'll talk about:Where role creep actually startsWhy behavior intervention, trauma treatment, and school counseling are three different professional functionsHow "helping" can accidentally turn you into the building's behavior containment systemThe ethical trap of trying to bridge gaps that the system refuses to fillThe one question that can stop role creep before it becomes your permanent jobBecause the thing is:A pressure valve exists so the system doesn't have to change.And the moment you stop being one…the system is forced to find a different solution.If you've ever felt like your job morphed beyond the role you trained for, this episode will give you the words for what's been happening, and how to get back to doing the work you truly love.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Throwback Thursday! Supporting the Whole Child featuring Dr. Sarah KirkOriginally Released On: 12-15-2023This week we're revisiting another powerful conversation from Leading Out The Woods. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sarah Kirk, CEO of Yoga 4 Classrooms and Oklahoma's 2018 School Counselor of the Year, to discuss how schools can better support the academic, social-emotional, and overall well-being of students. Takeaways from this classic:How wrap-around supports strengthen student successThe role of social-emotional practices within daily instructionPractical ways educators can support the whole child inside the classroom and across the school communityWhether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting a classic, this conversation is packed with insights that still resonate today.

Casey and John react to Matt McCusker talking about his time as a high school counselor intern providing therapy to students while finishing his Master's in Social Work. As the stories unfold, the discussion turns into a trip down memory lane, with John and Casey recalling their own high school moments, counselors, and experiences that relate to the video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The research supports trauma-informed schools..." You've probably heard it in a staff meeting, read it in a district memo, or repeated it yourself. But when you go looking for the studies, something becomes clear: most people are citing a sentence, not a source.This episode is for the school counselor who's been asked to implement trauma-informed practices without anyone handing you the actual research-  and who wants to know what it actually says.What we cover:What "trauma-informed schools" actually means in the evidence base (and what it doesn't)The difference between trauma-informed principles and whole-school implementationWhy rigorous studies are harder to find than most people realizeThis isn't an episode about rejecting trauma-informed practice. It's about being the person in the room who actually checked.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Is managing student behavior actually school counseling?If you're spending most of your week handling behavior referrals, putting out fires, and decoding defiance before you've even opened your calendar… this episode draws a line most schools never clearly defined.Because somewhere along the way, behavior didn't just increase.It migrated.And it landed in the school counselor's office.In this episode, we unpack how school counselors quietly became the default behavior managers in many buildings when discipline structures softened without being clearly replaced.You'll hear:How PBIS and trauma-informed shifts reshaped discipline systems- and what that meant for school counseling rolesWhy behavior intervention and school counseling are different specialtiesWhat burnout research actually says about non-counseling dutiesThe simple line that helps you sort capacity from compliance in real timeIf behavior has been swallowing your week, this conversation will help you see what belongs to you... and what doesn't.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.******** Ready to spend a few days this summer with me, geeking out over school counseling and preparing for your best year ever? Grab your ticket here before this limited-seat event sells out!******** This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Colleen, a school counselor and IMPACT member, who shares her journey from nursing school to school counseling and her passion for teaching students the coping skills she did not learn growing up. Colleen Mosley is a School Counselor in Long Island, New York. This is her fourth year at her current school. Previously, she worked as a School Counselor for four years in Northern Virginia. Before becoming a counselor, she served on the Leadership Team at a private school in Northern Virginia. Colleen is deeply passionate about equipping students with lifelong coping skills and believes that work is at the heart of why she became a School Counselor. What does Colleen love about school counseling Colleen shares that she loves being the person she did not have growing up. She finds it incredibly fulfilling to teach children skills they can use throughout their lifetime. What does Colleen love about individual sessions Because she sees all students weekly for classroom lessons, she is able to build strong rapport and positive relationships early on. When students come to her counseling room for individual support, there is already an established foundation of trust. How does she manage the logistics of individual sessions Colleen typically meets with students once a week for six weeks for approximately 20 minutes. She administers a pre-assessment during the first session and a post-assessment during the final session to measure growth and progress. A day in the life Colleen works with students in grades K through 8 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. She is available on Mondays primarily for crisis response. She teaches Social Emotional Learning lessons in 40 minute blocks for each classroom and schedules individual sessions as needed. When she is not teaching or counseling, she supervises lunch and recess or plans future lessons and school events. Advice for new school counselors Find a mentor you trust. Prioritize self-care. Join a cohort or a community such as IMPACT so you have support and resources readily available to make your job feel more manageable. As Colleen says, overdose on self-care so you can do your job most effectively! Do not forget, today and tomorrow I am hosting a free live training on how to enhance your individual counseling sessions and begin collecting meaningful data so you can feel confident and valued in your role. You will walk away with practical engagement strategies and simple data tracking tools you can start using right away.   Resources Mentioned: Individual Counseling LIVE Training 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'm challenging a common habit in school counseling: labeling student distress as “anxiety” before it actually meets clinical criteria.You'll hear the research behind "prevalence inflation," how DSM standards separate normal worry from clinical anxiety, and the four-question test that will change how you approach 504 plans, school refusal, and all your anxiety-related counseling referrals.Because when we mislabel discomfort, exclusion, or instability as anxiety, we don't just miss the root issue. We build an entire intervention around the wrong problem.Run the four-question test before you write the accommodation.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS Hanna Kemble-Mick, school counselor, dean of elementary school counseling, Indian Hills Elementary School, Topeka, Kansas. Hanna is a 2025 School Counselor of the Year® finalist, Therapy Dog mom, and Tech/AI enthusiast. I met Hanna through her mom, Jerri Kemble, when they were presenting with firefly wings. Then I had a one-to-one conversation with Hanna, and that was it… she had to be a guest on my show. Your WHY and What Brings You Joy My “why” is building schools where students are truly seen, where creativity is valued, and where opportunity is not reserved for a lucky few. I root for the underdog, the underserved, and students in rural communities who deserve the same expansive possibilities as anyone else. What brings me joy is connection, continuous learning, dogs, polka dots, and the everyday magic of my students growing into who they are meant to be. Your Background (what it was like in school, growing up, what you always wanted to be) I grew up in a rural community with a big heart, where everyone knew each other and helping others was simply part of everyday life. My parents, Kurt and Jerri Kemble, modeled what it meant to show up for others, and that spirit carried through our town. All of my grandparents lived nearby, so my childhood was filled with time around their kitchen tables, lending a hand to neighbors, and taking part in community service. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian because of my love for animals. I loved school and felt connected there until my senior year, when my mom became superintendent, and I transferred to the district where she worked. Suddenly, I felt out of place. In true teenage fashion, I joined the track team and filmed basketball games, volunteering for anything that would get me out of the building. Even then, I was learning how much belonging and environment shape a person’s experience. I am fortunate to have a loving family and live in Lawrence, Kansas, with my husband, Dalton, two dogs, and a cat. Becoming a School Counselor: Describe what it meant to you when you figured out your calling. I graduated from college with a degree in advertising and began a career I genuinely enjoyed. I loved my job and deeply respected my boss, but something within me kept whispering that the work was not fulfilling my soul. I knew I wanted to make a different impact, so I decided to return to school to become a counselor. My boss met that decision with incredible kindness, allowing me to continue working while attending graduate school full-time, a generosity I have never forgotten. When I first contacted the counseling program, the response felt uncertain and discouraging. There were questions about whether this path was truly right for me and how a background in marketing and advertising fit into the counseling world. While I understand their perspective now, at the time, it planted seeds of imposter syndrome and left me wondering if I truly belonged. Yet, as the program continued, so did my clarity of purpose. I discovered that the skills I brought with me, including communication, creativity, understanding people, and connecting messages to meaning, were not detours but strengths. Looking back, I would not change the path at all. It shaped my resilience, deepened my empathy, and affirmed that this calling was exactly where I was meant to be. Junior Coaches Program Junior Coaches began as a restorative program designed to support students who struggle with peer conflict and behavior by building problem-solving skills and confidence. The group included older students who practiced these skills together and then took them to recess, where they supported younger students in navigating conflicts and challenges. This felt more comfortable and natural for them than stepping into that role with their own classmates, and it gave them a meaningful way to lead. Paws and Claws grew alongside it as a project-based learning group where students design, create, and donate pet products to a local animal shelter. I love both of these groups because they move beyond simply talking about skills and instead create depth through authentic skill-building. Students are not just learning what to do. They are practicing empathy, responsibility, collaboration, and problem-solving in real and meaningful ways. School Counselor of the Year 2025 Finalist Being named a 2025 School Counselor of the Year Finalist has been a wild and humbling ride. I still catch myself looking at photos from Capitol Hill and thinking, Did that really happen? It has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. https://videos.schoolcounselor.org/hanna-kemble-mick For a moment, you feel fully seen, valued, and celebrated as an educator and as a school counselor, and I find myself wishing every person in education could experience that kind of affirmation. The connections, friendships, and shared purpose have been next level. This truly feels like the gift of a lifetime. Through this experience, I have built lasting relationships with educators across the country and have had the opportunity to share my message about elevating school counseling and keeping it future-focused through keynotes and presentations in districts and conferences nationwide. I am deeply grateful to ASCA for opening doors I never imagined, and for creating an experience I wish every school counselor could have. Firefly Effect Presentations and more I have had the meaningful opportunity to present alongside my mom through the Firefly Effect and the Life Hack Lab for Women Who Lead. These experiences focus less on quick fixes and more on intentional navigation, introspection, and reflection. Together, we invite participants to pause, examine their paths, and reconnect with their purpose while building the courage to lead with authenticity and resilience. Sharing this work with my mom has made it even more special, blending a personal story with professional insight in a way that resonates deeply with the women we serve. AI Integration and what that means for Educators and School Counselors When I present on AI integration for educators and school counselors, I emphasize intentional use and meaningful impact. Rather than using technology for its own sake, I encourage professionals to ask why they are using it and how it supports students and strengthens their work. We explore how AI can expand access to support, streamline tasks, and open new pathways for learning, while remaining grounded in ethical, safe, and student-centered practices. At the same time, I stress as technology becomes more present in our lives, human skills become even more essential. Skills, like empathy, communication, critical thinking, self-awareness, creativity, and ethical decision-making, empower students to use technology. wisely and to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The goal is not to replace the human element, but to amplify it, empowering counselors and educators to extend their reach, deepen relationships, and better support the growth and well-being of the students they serve. Hanna’s Keynote in Mississippi What’s next? Speaking engagem ents and presentations, writing a book, giving back to the profession, and continuing to be a champion for students! Hanna’s Contact Information LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannakemble/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanna.kemble Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannamickedu/ Email: hannamickedu@gmail.com **** I was looking forward to my talk on my virtual porch with Hanna Kemble-Mick. I just loved it and hope you did, too. I knew Hanna was a School Counselor Finalist and an amazing speaker, but I also know her as Jerri Kemble’s daughter. When I saw the two of them in their Firefly Wings, I just had to get to know Hanna better. You can see the joy in our selfie from the FETC conference.. Enjoy the post that Hanna created here. Then please share our conversation with your friends. The post Unlock the Power of AI in School Counseling with Hanna Kemble-Mick (EP183) appeared first on Barbara Bray.

Hanna Kemble-Mick is a school counselor, dean of elementary school counseling, a 2025 School Counselor of the Year® finalist, Therapy Dog mom, and Tech/AI enthusiast. The post Unlock the Power of AI in School Counseling with Hanna Kemble-Mick (EP183) first appeared on Grow Your WHY.

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS Hanna Kemble-Mick, school counselor, dean of elementary school counseling, Indian Hills Elementary School, Topeka, Kansas. Hanna is a 2025 School Counselor of the Year® finalist, Therapy Dog mom, and Tech/AI enthusiast. I met Hanna through her mom, Jerri Kemble, when they were presenting with firefly wings. Then I had a one-to-one conversation with Hanna, and that was it… she had to be a guest on my show. Your WHY and What Brings You Joy My “why” is building schools where students are truly seen, where creativity is valued, and where opportunity is not reserved for a lucky few. I root for the underdog, the underserved, and students in rural communities who deserve the same expansive possibilities as anyone else. What brings me joy is connection, continuous learning, dogs, polka dots, and the everyday magic of my students growing into who they are meant to be. Your Background (what it was like in school, growing up, what you always wanted to be) I grew up in a rural community with a big heart, where everyone knew each other and helping others was simply part of everyday life. My parents, Kurt and Jerri Kemble, modeled what it meant to show up for others, and that spirit carried through our town. All of my grandparents lived nearby, so my childhood was filled with time around their kitchen tables, lending a hand to neighbors, and taking part in community service. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian because of my love for animals. I loved school and felt connected there until my senior year, when my mom became superintendent, and I transferred to the district where she worked. Suddenly, I felt out of place. In true teenage fashion, I joined the track team and filmed basketball games, volunteering for anything that would get me out of the building. Even then, I was learning how much belonging and environment shape a person's experience. I am fortunate to have a loving family and live in Lawrence, Kansas, with my husband, Dalton, two dogs, and a cat. Becoming a School Counselor: Describe what it meant to you when you figured out your calling. I graduated from college with a degree in advertising and began a career I genuinely enjoyed. I loved my job and deeply respected my boss, but something within me kept whispering that the work was not fulfilling my soul. I knew I wanted to make a different impact, so I decided to return to school to become a counselor. My boss met that decision with incredible kindness, allowing me to continue working while attending graduate school full-time, a generosity I have never forgotten. When I first contacted the counseling program, the response felt uncertain and discouraging. There were questions about whether this path was truly right for me and how a background in marketing and advertising fit into the counseling world. While I understand their perspective now, at the time, it planted seeds of imposter syndrome and left me wondering if I truly belonged. Yet, as the program continued, so did my clarity of purpose. I discovered that the skills I brought with me, including communication, creativity, understanding people, and connecting messages to meaning, were not detours but strengths. Looking back, I would not change the path at all. It shaped my resilience, deepened my empathy, and affirmed that this calling was exactly where I was meant to be. Junior Coaches Program Junior Coaches began as a restorative program designed to support students who struggle with peer conflict and behavior by building problem-solving skills and confidence. The group included older students who practiced these skills together and then took them to recess, where they supported younger students in navigating conflicts and challenges. This felt more comfortable and natural for them than stepping into that role with their own classmates, and it gave them a meaningful way to lead. Paws and Claws grew alongside it as a project-based learning group where students design, create, and donate pet products to a local animal shelter. I love both of these groups because they move beyond simply talking about skills and instead create depth through authentic skill-building. Students are not just learning what to do. They are practicing empathy, responsibility, collaboration, and problem-solving in real and meaningful ways. School Counselor of the Year 2025 Finalist Being named a 2025 School Counselor of the Year Finalist has been a wild and humbling ride. I still catch myself looking at photos from Capitol Hill and thinking, Did that really happen? It has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. https://videos.schoolcounselor.org/hanna-kemble-mick For a moment, you feel fully seen, valued, and celebrated as an educator and as a school counselor, and I find myself wishing every person in education could experience that kind of affirmation. The connections, friendships, and shared purpose have been next level. This truly feels like the gift of a lifetime. Through this experience, I have built lasting relationships with educators across the country and have had the opportunity to share my message about elevating school counseling and keeping it future-focused through keynotes and presentations in districts and conferences nationwide. I am deeply grateful to ASCA for opening doors I never imagined, and for creating an experience I wish every school counselor could have. Firefly Effect Presentations and more I have had the meaningful opportunity to present alongside my mom through the Firefly Effect and the Life Hack Lab for Women Who Lead. These experiences focus less on quick fixes and more on intentional navigation, introspection, and reflection. Together, we invite participants to pause, examine their paths, and reconnect with their purpose while building the courage to lead with authenticity and resilience. Sharing this work with my mom has made it even more special, blending a personal story with professional insight in a way that resonates deeply with the women we serve. AI Integration and what that means for Educators and School Counselors When I present on AI integration for educators and school counselors, I emphasize intentional use and meaningful impact. Rather than using technology for its own sake, I encourage professionals to ask why they are using it and how it supports students and strengthens their work. We explore how AI can expand access to support, streamline tasks, and open new pathways for learning, while remaining grounded in ethical, safe, and student-centered practices. At the same time, I stress as technology becomes more present in our lives, human skills become even more essential. Skills, like empathy, communication, critical thinking, self-awareness, creativity, and ethical decision-making, empower students to use technology. wisely and to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The goal is not to replace the human element, but to amplify it, empowering counselors and educators to extend their reach, deepen relationships, and better support the growth and well-being of the students they serve. Hanna's Keynote in Mississippi What's next? Speaking engagem ents and presentations, writing a book, giving back to the profession, and continuing to be a champion for students! Hanna's Contact Information LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannakemble/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanna.kemble Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannamickedu/ Email: hannamickedu@gmail.com **** I was looking forward to my talk on my virtual porch with Hanna Kemble-Mick. I just loved it and hope you did, too. I knew Hanna was a School Counselor Finalist and an amazing speaker, but I also know her as Jerri Kemble's daughter. When I saw the two of them in their Firefly Wings, I just had to get to know Hanna better. You can see the joy in our selfie from the FETC conference.. Enjoy the post that Hanna created here. Then please share our conversation with your friends. The post Unlock the Power of AI in School Counseling with Hanna Kemble-Mick (EP183) appeared first on Barbara Bray.

What if the anxiety accommodations you've been writing into your 504s and IEPs are actually making your students more anxious?In this episode, I'm sharing a section from a recent masterclass inside the School for School Counselors Mastermind- one that had members circling accommodations on their plans before it was even over!You'll hear the research behind why avoidance-based accommodations backfire, how we're accidentally teaching students they can't handle hard things, and one dead-simple question you can ask yourself Monday morning to evaluate any accommodation on your caseload.Plus- someone left a review calling this podcast "tragic." Wait till you hear my response...********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

What's covered in this PodcasT :Modern Psychology Explained & Why It's FailingWhy Modern Psychology Is “Stumbling in the Dark”Shadow Self, Unconscious Mind & False Psychology LabelsMother & Father Complex Explained (And Why It's Wrong)Anxiety, Stress & Mental Health in the Modern WorldADHD, Schizophrenia & Multiple Personalities Explained NaturallyAncient Psychology, Astrology & Human Behavior, Real ArchonsWhy Therapy & Talking Don't Fix Mental HealthStress, Anxiety & Being Grounded to the EarthChildhood Psychology, School Counselors & ProgrammingMental Illness, Nature Connection & HealingChoice, Awareness & Breaking Psychological ConditioningP's giTa - PT's new book - an essential read -https://www.lotus-ocean.net/PgiTa.htmlAfter all the waking upto Real Reality in all the little ways that EVERYTHING YOU ARE TAUGHT AT SCHOOL IS FALSEandso many speaking all around the world aboutwhy people are stuck here & suffer and not getting to the PoinT...PT clears it all upfrom thePrimary Basic Root Core ...https://www.youtube.com/lotusoceanhttps://www.youtube.com/ptspeakshttps://www.instagram.com/prashant_the_axis_trivedi/https://www.facebook.com/PTavatar/http://www.lotusocean.net/***

You hold a master's degree. You studied crisis intervention, psychopathology, and therapeutic technique.So why is your profession still fighting to be seen as essential?It doesn't have to stay this way- but the window is closing.In this episode, I lay out two possible futures for school counseling: one that ends in irrelevance, and one where we finally become the campus influence we were meant to be.What's pushing us toward the wrong path isn't what most counselors think.And fixing it will require a shift few are talking about.Stop being helpful. Start being undeniable.********Join our new Skool for School Counselors community ********Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ********All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

How can schools appropriately respond to students who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), whether the behavior occurs at home, on school grounds, or elsewhere? What protocols exist to support schools to better respond to students who self-injure? What role does liability play? In this episode, Dr. Nancy Heath of McGill University in Montreal, Canada explains how schools can support students who engage in self-injury and self-harm.Learn more about Dr. Heath's work here, and learn more about her work with the Development and Intrapersonal Resilience (DAIR) Research Team here. Learn more about the International Consortium on Self-Injury in Educational Settings (ICSES) at http://icsesgroup.org/.Self-injury Outreach & Support (SiOS) offers resources for schools here and a list of do's and don'ts here. Visit SiOS at http://sioutreach.org and follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sioutreach) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/sioutreach).Below are links to some of Dr. Heath's research as well as resources referenced in this episode:Hasking, P. A., Bloom, E., Lewis, S. P., & Baetens, I. (2020). Developing a policy, and professional development for school staff, to address and respond to nonsuicidal self-injury in schools. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 9(3), 176.Berger, E., Hasking, P., & Reupert, A. (2015). Developing a policy to address nonsuicidal self-injury in schools. Journal of School Health, 85(9), 629-647.Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Hasking, P., Lewis, S.P., Hamza, C., McAllister, M., Baetens, I., & Muehlenkamp, J. (2020). Addressing self-injury in schools, part 1: understanding nonsuicidal self-injury and the importance of respectful curiosity in supporting youth who engage in self-injury. NASN School Nurse, 35(2), 92-98.Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Hasking, P., Lewis, S.P., Hamza, C., McAllister, M., Baetens, I., & Muehlenkamp, J. (2020). Addressing self-injury in schools, part 2: how school nurses can help with supporting assessment, ongoing care, and referral for treatment. NASN School Nurse, 35(2), 99-103.Lewis, S. P., Heath, N. L., Hasking, P. A., Hamza, C. A., Bloom, E. L., Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., & Whitlock, J. (2019). Advocacy for improved response to self-injury in schools: A call to action for school psychologists. Psychological Services, 17(S1), 86–92.De Riggi, M. E., Moumne, S., Heath, N. L., & Lewis, S. P. (2017). Non-suicidal self-injury in our schools: a review and research-informed guidelines for school mental health professionals. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 32(2), 122-143.Whitlock, J. L., Baetens, I., Lloyd-Richardson, E., Hasking, P., Hamza, C., Lewis, S., Franz, P., & Robinson, K. (2018). Helping schools support caregivers of youth who self-injure: Considerations and recommendations. School Psychology International, 39(3), 312-328.Hasking, P. A., Heath, N. L., Kaess, M., Lewis, S. P., Plener, P. L., Walsh, B. W., .Whitlock, J., & Wilson, M. S. (2016). Position paper for guiding response to non-suicidal self-injury in schools. School Psychology International, 37(6), 644-663. Open access here.Book: Self-Injury in Youth: The Essential Guide to Assessment and Intervention (2008) by Drs. Mary Nixon & Nancy HeathFollow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter/X (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter/X (@ITripleS).The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated as one of the "10 Best Self Harm Podcasts" and "20 Best Clinical Psychology Podcasts" by Feedspot  and one of the Top 100 Psychology Podcasts by Goodpods. It has also been featured in Audible's "Best Mental Health Podcasts to Defy Stigma and Begin to Heal."

Most school counselors aren't ineffective.They're mis-measured.In this episode, Steph challenges one of the profession's most sacred assumptions and names something about her own work that most counselors wouldn't dare say out loud.This conversation explores what it means to do catalytic work in a system obsessed with finished products, and why that mismatch is costing counselors their confidence.*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

In this important episode of the Counselor Accents Podcast, we sit down with Angela Avery, a seasoned middle school counselor from Maine, to discuss one of the most challenging and critical topics facing schools today: suicide prevention.Angela shares practical, proactive strategies school counselors can use to address suicide in developmentally appropriate, ethical, and trauma-informed ways. This conversation focuses on prevention over reaction, highlighting everyday practices that quietly save lives long before a crisis occurs.Listeners will gain insight into:How to talk about suicide safely and responsibly with studentsProactive suicide prevention strategies School counseling protocols and response planningProtective factors counselors may already be strengthening without realizing itWays to build a school culture of connection, trust, and emotional safetyAngela also reassures counselors who worry they're “doing it wrong” that many effective prevention efforts are already happening through relationship-building, SEL lessons, and consistent check-ins. This episode emphasizes that suicide prevention is not one program or lesson — it's a system of care woven into daily school counseling practice.Whether you are a school counselor, administrator, or mental health professional, this episode offers grounded guidance, encouragement, and realistic tools for navigating an incredibly sensitive topic with confidence and compassion.

January is often when attendance challenges start to feel impossible (for students and for counselors). In this episode, I break down why attendance dips during the winter months, how to reframe attendance as a support issue rather than a compliance issue, and what counselors can realistically do to help students re-engage with school.This episode focuses on compassion, collaboration, and practical strategies that honor what students are really experiencing.You'll Learn:Common reasons attendance declines in January (illness, anxiety, routine changes, weather, and more)Why framing attendance as a symptom changes how students respondLanguage counselors can use to talk about attendance without blameLayered counseling supports for students with chronic absencesHow small wins (fewer tardies, staying longer, asking for help) matter more than perfect dataEngagement strategies that increase motivation and belongingQuote from the Episode“Students don't avoid school because they don't care. They avoid school because something feels really hard.”Resources Mentioned:Attendance Small GroupMiddle School Attendance Lesson (grades 6-7)Barriers To Attendance Lesson (grades K-1)Academic Success Attendance Lesson (grades 2-3)Barriers to Attendance (grades 4-5)Chronic Attendance Intervention Lesson (grade 8)Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcastJoin 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 StoreCounseling Essentials Website

Caring is what makes you good at this job. It's also what puts you in the most danger.If you're a school counselor who still cares deeply about students, but you've noticed yourself feeling flatter, heavier, or more guarded than you used to- this episode is for you.You're still showing up. Still doing the work. But the caring itself has started to weigh on you, and you don't know why.In this episode, I talk about a kind of exhaustion that doesn't come from being busy or overwhelmed. It builds from sitting with hard stories, holding emotional weight, and being the safe place for everyone else inside a role that rarely offers closure or relief.This isn't about burnout.It's about the unspoken cost of compassion in school counseling.If you've ever thought, "Something feels wrong, but I don't know how to name it," this conversation will help make it make sense.*********************************Episodes I referred to:Ep. 87- Some of the Best School Counseling Advice I've Ever HeardEp. 180- The Question School Counselors NEVER Get AskedEp. 181- Why School Counselors Are So Tired (It's Not Burnout)*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

January can feel especially tough in schools. Big emotions, increased anxiety, mood changes, and shutdown behaviors often show up as students transition back from break. In this episode, I'm breaking down why January feels so hard, and what school counselors can do to support students in ways that are compassionate, practical, and sustainable.In this episode, I discuss:Why January creates emotional and behavioral shifts for studentsHow anxiety shows up differently across age groupsThe difference between behavior problems and regulation problemsWhy predictability is essential for reducing anxietyCounselor strategies to restore safety and routineLow-pressure Tier 1 lesson ideas for JanuarySmall group supports for anxiety, coping skills, and transitionsTrauma-informed practices that prioritize connection before correctionKey Quote from the Episode“Anxiety increases when predictability decreases.”Counselor TakeawayJanuary isn't about fixing feelings or pushing through. It's about regrounding, rebuilding routines, and helping students feel safe enough to learn again. Small supports matter—and they add up.Thank you for showing up for your students and for yourself. Your work matters more than you know.Grab the Show Notes: Counselingessentials.org/podcastJoin 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 StoreCounseling Essentials WebsiteInstagramFacebookElementary School Counselor Exchange Facebook Group

If you're exhausted in a way that rest doesn't fix, this episode is for you.School counselors are often told they're burned out, so they're handed self-care tips, boundary advice, and mindset shifts that never quite work. There's a reason for that.In this episode, I unpack the research that shows what school counselors are actually dealing with- and why calling it burnout misses the point. When you name the real problem, the way you relate to your exhaustion, your work, and your expectations changes completely.*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

School counselors are told to:Be flexibleMake it workAdvocate harderAnd somehow still be accountable for everything.But what if the real problem isn't your mindset- or your effort?In this episode, Steph Johnson revisits an early message from the podcast and names what was missing. She explains why reassurance has a shelf life, how guilt gets mistaken for professionalism, and why endurance keeps getting rewarded in roles that were never built to work.This isn't about doing more.It's about seeing the job for what it actually is.*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

Why does everything at school seem to turn into a competition... and why does it so often become a school counseling issue?In this episode of the School for School Counselors Podcast, we explore what's really happening when students compete over small moments and why school counselors are frequently asked to intervene even when there's no clear behavior problem. We look at the neurological and social drivers behind competitive behavior, how these moments get misread by adults, and how that misinterpretation quietly increases the workload and pressure placed on school counselors.This episode isn't about strategies, tools, or interventions.It's about understanding the pattern beneath the referrals.If you're a school counselor who feels pulled into situations that don't quite make sense- but still feel urgent- this conversation will help you see what's actually happening before the response gets triggered.*********************************Join the next-level conversation in my Substack.*********************************Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We're doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! *********************************All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy. This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.

John Bolton's indictment, a school accused of aiding student abortions, and Arsenio Orteza's review of WATIV's latest album. Plus, DC marriage during the shutdown, Cal Thomas on presidential precedent, and the Thursday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Covenant College, where Christian faculty equip students for their callings through hard ideas, deep questions, and meaningful work. covenant.edu/worldFrom Missions Upside Down - a FREE, award-winning video series about Christian missions in the past, present, and into the future. You can find this free resource on RightNowMedia or at missionsupsidedown.comAnd from the Peace of God Bible, inviting you to experience God's peace. With notes and devotions from Dr. Jeremiah Johnston. PeaceofGodBible.com