In today's episode I chat with Malisa Hepner, an elementary school counselor and published children's book author. She discusses her background and strategies for building relationships with students and staff. She also shares tips for wrapping up the school year.

Here are some things we covered:

• How Malisa supports students and staff through intentional relationship-building and acts of kindness to boost morale.

• Malisa emphasizes the importance of proactive tier 1 instruction and teaching common SEL skills to teachers.

• Advocating for her role while maintaining boundaries and providing summer crisis resources for students.

• New counselor advice to build relationships and focus on serving students effectively.

• Malisa's self-published children's books related to her counseling lessons on topics like bullying prevention.
  
  Listen in to hear it all!

Resources mentioned:

• https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/bootcamp

• Create a Summer SEL Toolkit - Thrive Instead of Survive at the End of the Year

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

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

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

In today's episode we discuss anxiety strategies for school counselors with expert Courtney Bennett.

Courtney is a passionate school counselor and mom of three. She loves to learn, so you will most often find her with a book in hand. She has spent the last several years studying about anxiety, trauma, and executive functioning and enjoys the challenge of putting this expertise to the test with real kids.. Courtney shares personal experience with anxiety and strategies for managing it with students. Strategies include externalizing worries, naming emotions, and reframing mindsets about stress.

Listen in for more highlights including:

• Externalizing techniques to help students distance from overwhelming feelings
• Educating the whole school community using consistent language and care plans
• Teaching positive mindset interventions about stress responses
• Considering bottom-up or top-down anxiety interventions for each student
• Learning clinical approaches to anxiety from experts like Lynn Lyons
  
  
  

  Resources mentioned:

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

• Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

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

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

On today's episode, we explored a variety of strategies for managing student anxiety with special guest Casey O’Brien Martin. Casey shared her wealth of experience working as both an art therapist and school counselor.

Casey O’Brien Martin is a Mom of two boys and a mini schnuazer named Hurley. She is the author of the book Skills for Big Feelings: A Guide for Teaching Kids Relaxation, Regulation, and Coping Techniques. She works as a school adjustment counselor in Massachusetts and runs Whole Child Counseling. She is also a licensed mental health counselor, a registered nurse, and a registered expressive arts therapist.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Origami box activity helps MS students express themselves
• Teaching all students coping skills through universal prevention strategies
• Addressing anxiety and avoidance behaviors in students
• Casey's Book "Skills for Big Feelings" offers 12-week curriculum for coping techniques
• Somatic techniques like "shake, wiggle, shake" to help kids manage anxiety

Resources mentioned:

• https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT_6Lvkhxvo

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

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

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

In this episode of School Counseling Simplified, your host, Rachel, shares powerful mindfulness strategies for managing student anxiety and executive functioning.

Here are some highlights:

• Mindfulness activates the prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex, areas of the brain linked to attention, executive functions, and learning.
• A study found students who practiced mindfulness improved their executive functioning skills like behavioral regulation.
• Rachel demonstrated mindful breathing exercises like dragon breath and flower breath for elementary students.
• Guided meditations can help students become aware of sounds in mindfulness session two.
• Increasing sensory awareness through 5-4-3-2-1 grounding

Listen In to hear more!

Resources mentioned:

• https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• 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 today's episode, I chat with Laura Filtness about anxiety strategies. Laura talks through the importance of setting professional boundaries and using therapy dogs in counseling programs. We discuss practical applications for managing anxiety in students and school counselors, including mindful moments, expanding the window of tolerance, and using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. Laura also shares her passion for using picture books in counseling and her involvement in mentoring new counselors.

Laura is a school counselor with more than 15 years of experience. In 2017, she was honored with the title of Elementary Tennessee School Counselor of the Year. Her passion is to foster empathy among children through the use of picture books. Her therapy dog, Boss, has inspired her to continue his legacy and promote empathy through picture books.

Some Highlights:

• Monthly counselor community circles and calls for sharing wins, troubleshooting tough cases, and discussing counselor experiences.
• Laura's expertise in using picture books in counseling programs, including her upcoming presentation at ASCO on the topic.
• Strategies for managing anxiety, including setting professional boundaries, using therapy dogs, and practicing mindfulness.
• Practical applications for supporting students with anxiety, such as identifying physical signs of stress, expanding the window of tolerance, and using CBT techniques.
• Laura's passion for mentoring new counselors and helping them navigate challenges such as paperwork, time management, organization, and setting boundaries.

Resources mentioned:

• Ep 147 with Laura https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/picture-books-to-enhance-counseling-sessions

• https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

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

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

Anxiety remains our focus this week as we have gotten such an overwhleming response and need to continue to cover this topic.

Today, Jessica, from Counseling Adventures, joins the conversation to share valuable insights and practical strategies for addressing anxiety among students. Drawing from her 10 years of experience, Jessica offers tips for parents, teachers, and fellow counselors, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing different types of anxiety in the school setting.

Gain a deeper understanding of common anxiety triggers among middle schoolers and learn effective techniques, including cognitive-behavioral approaches and relaxation exercises, to support students in coping with their emotions.

Tune in to discover actionable steps for creating a supportive environment for students dealing with anxiety.

Some topics covered in this episode are:

• Strategies for teaching anxiety to students
• Understanding how anxiety shows up for individual students
• Practical techniques for addressing anxiety in middle school students
• Preventive measures for anxiety, including emotional identification and coping skills
• Advice for new school counselors, emphasizing self-care and experimentation with new approaches

Resources mentioned:

• Check out Jessica https://counselingadventures.com/
• Middle school resources https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Counselingadventures

• Save your spot for this month's Coffee with the Counselor: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

• Join my school counselor membership IMPACT here!

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

Connect with Rachel:

• TpT Store

• Blog

• Instagram

• Facebook Page

• Facebook Group

• Pinterest

• Youtube

More About School Counseling Simplified:

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

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

Anxiety does not just impact older students and adults. There are many elementary students who struggle with anxiety as well! As a school counselor, it can be challenging to determine the root of that anxiety and figure out what strategies may be beneficial for your student. I know we all want to support our students as best as possible so I am so excited to have Sophia from School Psych Finds on to share some knowledge and insights about helping our students with anxiety!

Sophia is trained as a school psychologist and has worked with families & children of all ages. She received her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and her M.A. & Ed.S. degrees in Educational & School Psychology from Loyola Marymount University. She runs the social media accounts & podcasts: School Psych Mom & School Psych Finds. She recently became a new mom to a baby boy and cares for him full time. She enjoys sharing information and creating resources targeted towards mental health, parenting, and school psychology.

Sophia has such a wealth of knowledge about anxiety in students! In this episode, she is sharing anxiety strategies she loves to use with kids, the steps to take when working with students with anxiety, insight into CBT and selective mutism, and preventative strategies for anxiety.

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Show Notes: https://brightfutures-counseling.com/podcast-episodes/anxiety-deep-dive

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Resources Mentioned:

Save your spot for this month's Coffee with the Counselor: https://www.stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/coffee

Check out TherapistAid.com: http://TherapistAid.com

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

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

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Connect with Rachel:

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

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

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

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

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