Monday, May 25, 2020

15 minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What you didn't learn in Grad school Book Give Away

When I was in grad school we spent a lot of time learning about the foundations of school counseling, the theories of individual and group counseling, data, and college and career readiness. There were not a lot of  hands-on tips and tools for individual sessions in those academic classes.  It wasn't until I'd spent a few years in the field myself, that I became acquainted with many of the simple, yet effective techniques Allison Edwards discusses in her new book, 15-minute Counseling Techniques that Work: What you Didn't Learn in Grad School.

This book includes techniques useful for students of all ages Kindergarten through the12th grade. It provides the school counselor with strategies to teach students so they feel empowered to meet their challenges and stresses outside the safety of the counseling office.  Change the Channel, All Tangled up, Give Your Feeling a Name, and Structure the Unstructured are just a few of the techniques shared,  along with step by step instructions and materials.

Allison has taken Dollar Store items like yarn, markers, paper plates, scissors, note cards, and play-dough and used them to build a toolbox of techniques school counselors will reach for again and again.  With practical, hands-on activities that don't take a lot of time or money, Allison helps school counselors take students of all levels back to the basics and gets them in touch with what they are thinking and feeling. Often students leave with a physical reminder, whether a note card or a pinch pot, of a specific strategy to continue practicing at school or at home.

Allison Edwards shares about her new book.


Two FREE Books
Thank you to the National Center for Youth Issues for donating 2 free copies of  15 minute Counseling Techniques That Work: What you didn't learn in Grad School for this give-away!  Leave a comment about one of your favorite counseling techniques in the section below this post, on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page, or the School Counselor Store Facebook page.  The more places you make comments, the more chances you have to win.  Two winners will be selected at random and announced on Wednesday, May 27 at 11:00 pm EDT.  Check back here or the Facebook pages for winners.

Good Luck!!!

28 comments:

  1. My favorite technique is using our school therapy dog. She loves everyone, and students will talk while they pet. Many littles when I see them outside of school, they won't remember my name, but I will hear them tell their familly that she's the one with the dog. ;)

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  2. I love using Legos, Uno, this last year hot wheels track was a big hit. Love solution focused, strength based, CBT, student directed

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  4. My favorite technique is using getting to know you game/"would you rather" questions to get started, then solution focused questions. Sounds like a useful book, versus all those textbooks I still have! :-( So many things we didn't learn in grad school about the real life of a school counselor!

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  5. I love using games like Uno and legos to help students communicate their feelings.

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  6. My favorite technique is using kinetic sand, clay or other modeling type items. Once kids are using it they really like to talk. The book sounds good though. There are many things I've learned they didn't prepare us for in grad school!

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  7. I love playing a short game such as headbands or feelings charades while chatting about a situation!

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  8. I love kinetic sand! Even my most reluctant kiddos will regulate and often open up while playing with kinetic sand. I also love giving kiddos something tangible they can leave with - usually a worry stone (just a smooth river rock!).

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  9. I love using an X-ray activity or windows to my world activity with my students.

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  10. I use play doh a lot and just with younger students. The kids are usually surprised that I will play with the play doh too. It helps to make a connection and build rapport.

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  11. My favorite technique is to share music and memes! Build a strong foundation so that when they need help they trust me.

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  12. I really like using playdoh for my kids that are really angry. Even my seniors, will use it when needed,remembering that coping skill from when they were a freshman with me.

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  13. My favorite technique is having students identify things they can control vs things they can't control to put things in perspective.

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  14. My go-to tool for kids who need to calm down is a liquid timer. Watching the "bubbles" go from top to bottom focuses them, and we both know that they'll have the 2 minutes the timer takes to finish to center them and help them relax.

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  15. Games and art are my go tos. I wiuld live to gear more ideas about virtual activities too. Thanks for the opportunity.

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  16. I like to incorporate a lot of movement. Whether we chose to play catch with a squishy ball, do a twisty board race, or simply take a walk from one side of the building to the other. It allows students time to get some wiggles out, take attention away from anxiety or nervousness, and becomes a great setting for open dialogue.

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  17. Kinetic sand is one of my favorite things in my office. Even the teachers love to sit and play with it!

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  18. Pinch me therapy dough is great. It gives them something to work with in their hands while relaxing the student further because of the scents in the dough. Great for getting students to open up and process their feelings.

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  19. I use a variety of things with students such as play doh, games such as connect four, “what if?” Or other card question games, stuffed animals, and coloring pages (or have them draw to open up talk).

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  20. My favorite activity is giving them art supplies and allowing them to color their feelings. As they color, we talk about their feelings and label each one. We also put a rating scale in each one and us this to talk about what it would take to go from x to y. Visual representation for them to take back to remember what strategy they will use to go from x to y as well.

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  21. I love using board games and puzzles as a technique with students.

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  22. I use a lot of reality therapy with the students due to working with middle schoolers. Many times it is the quickest way to get them to see what was already right in front of their eyes but name it and be able to make a plan on how to either deal with the issue or change their behavior/approach to it.

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  23. I like using card games to show how life is like cards - part skill, part chance.

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  24. My favorite activities with kids are creating art and playing games, it allows them focus on the activity while we talk.

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  25. My favorite activities and easiest go-tos are mindfulness exercises, grounding and breathing techniques with a quick check-in scale.

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  26. My favorite counseling technique is solution focused; specifically this year I had each student set a goal in individual counseling and then rate themselves (1-10) using a mountain as a symbol of 1 (bottom) to 10 (at the top). Each week when students came in, we would review their goal and they would rate themselves about how they did working toward their goal since our last visit. Then, we talked about what they could do to move one or two numbers up the mountain by the time we saw each other the next week.

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  27. Congratulations HeatherLaw Howe and Beverly Tucker Vernon! You two are our winners! Look for my DM to send me your mailing address.

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