My name is Dr. Susan Fuller and this is my 15th year as an urban elementary school counselor. I am also certified to teach elementary students and special education students.
Entirely Elementary...School Counseling blog was born!
A few years ago at the PSCA conference, I had the opportunity to see many wonderful presenters, but two in particular resonated with me! Danielle Schultz of School Counselor Blog presented a workshop on all kinds of really fun tech stuff and Dr. Russell Sabella of SchoolCounselor.com presented on even more tech stuff and data collection. I left those two presentations feeling rejuvenated and pretty excited about trying some of their tried and true ideas!So, I started looking for a way to share my tried and true ideas with fellow school counselors. I also began thinking about how to connect with educators outside of my immediate region. Looking for a new challenge, I decided that a blog might be the avenue I was searching for. The blog was created!
The Blog Posts
I am always thinking about new ideas to use with my students. Ideas that will grab their attention, have an impact, and help them to be successful in school and in life. During the school day, I may be the primary person implementing these ideas or it may be the wonderful professionals I work with everyday. What you will see on the blog is an extension of how I run my school counseling office - fun, welcoming, colorful -- with high expectations, organization, drive, and genuine care. It is my hope, that on this blog, you will find school counseling ideas, tips, and enthusiasm to take into your school!
Dr. Fuller, I am a new elementary school counselor, and I was wondering how your students let you know that they need to speak to you. Do you have a box outside of your office, or a sign up sheet? I would like to think of a creative way for students to let me know, that is confidential for them. Thanks for your help!
ReplyDeleteHi! District wide, we use something called "Talk Time" slips for self-referrals. In every classroom there is a counseling poster (printed on colorful cardstock) that has the Talk Time slips affixed to it with a brad. Students then would rip off a slip and fill it out (name, room number, and date). Although not required, sometimes students will write a note on the back summarizing why they need my help. The slip can be given to the teacher to deliver to me (which is usually the case with the younger grades) or they can deliver it to my office. In the hallway, I have a colorful cardstock expanding file stuck on the wall which I use for my Talk Time mailbox (it is labeled as such). Students can put the slip in there. Nearby the mailbox, I also have a Talk Time poster with more slips.
DeleteThe use of these is fantastic for self-referring and a way for students to help other students! I review the guidelines for Talk Time slips during my intro lessons in every classroom. I discuss what the slips are for and what they are not for. Students are NOT to fill out a slip if there is an emergency (I clearly define and use examples). Students are to immediately tell a teacher or nearest adult and they will seek out my help directly. I review that the slips are to be used for help to figure out a problem of some sort, to talk about feelings, friends, bullying(repeated mean behavior), concerned about a friend, etc. The slips are not to be used to tattle on students (yes, this is a huge issue).
I must say that I get inundated with slips and it is extremely difficult for me to keep up with them. If a classroom has a substitute teacher, I can count on maybe 5 from that class that day. If there is a classroom issue going on, I could get 10 at one time (from various students in the class). The management of it all can be tricky.
To help with this, teachers kindly do some screening for me -- to help weed out the issues that they can deal with directly in the classroom (there are many). They will sometimes ask if it is an issue that they can help solve in the class (maybe with their help or during a class meeting) or if it is an issue that needs my help. I will be adding two check boxes to the slips: Home and School. Students will be asked to check the nature of the issue and again, teachers can help address the school issues instead of being bypassed for my support. The check boxes will help me, and other staff, deal with issues more quickly and efficiently.
Why? I'll give an example. If I get a Talk Time that is in regard to an issue at recess with 5 other students, many times I then have to go talk to each of those 5 other students to get the whole story, and then we still need to resolve the issue. Imagine if I get one of these types of Talk Times per class everyday....
Regardless, we want students to continue to self-refer and look out for their classmates. We don't want to put up any walls to offer them support and we want the support to happen as quickly as possible. Finally, we always want students to know that the school counselor is available whenever the moment arises that he/she may need some help.
Next week, I will post pictures of my Talk Time poster, slips, and mailbox!
Dr. Fuller
ReplyDeleteI believe I saw a reference in one of your posts about PATHS. I'm wondering if your school uses that curriculum for social-emotional learning and if so, what is your opinion?
Yes, our urban district does use PATHS - K-5! We began using it last school year in K, 1, and 2 and this year expanded to 3, 4, 5. I have received fantastic feedback from the teachers -- they like the language and concepts that are being taught/explored, they feel it is making an impact, and they like that everything is planned out for them in the curriculum guides. Because of it's rather recent implementation, we'll have to see what the data shows on the overall effects of program implementation in the years ahead. We also do the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
DeleteHi there! I have been teaching at the elementary level for 2 years and am trying to decide where to go from here. I love working with kids and in a school setting but am looking to move forward with my career and challenge myself a bit. I have thought of going back to school in an effort to become a school counselor and stumbling upon your blog has made that thought really stick with me. Can you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming a school counselor? What kind of program did you complete? Any tips/advice you think would be helpful? Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteEmily
Hi Emily!So glad you've found my blog and had a moment of "hmmmm." Check out my Facebook Page: Entirely Elementary School Counseling for more frequent updates.
DeleteMy undergraduate degree is in Psychology. One of my very last classes in college was an internship I did with a school psychologist and some teachers. I LOVED IT!! This undergraduate internship really helped to solidify for me that I wanted to become an elementary school counselor. After graduation, I attended graduate school for Elementary School Counseling and at the same time, worked at getting teacher certificaiton in Elementary Education and Special Education. The Elementary School Counseling degree is an M.Ed. You will have to become state certified (through the program) and take the necessary tests for school counseling in your state. The degree/certificaiton requires an internship, but many school districts are willing to work with you in order to fulfill this requirement.
It is a challenging and demanding job, but very fulfilling. Some days and situations are more frustrating than others, yet, there are moments of success. You need to be organized, self-reflective, and focused on doing what is right for kids. You need to be able to build relationships and connections with kids, colleagues, and parents.
I love my job!