118. Counselor Catch-Up: What I’m Reading, Learning, and Loving This Summer

Carol: You're listening to the Counselor Chat Podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy.

I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind Counseling Essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to engage students.

If you're looking for a little inspiration to help help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place because we're better together.

Ready to chat?

Let's dive in.

Hey there counselor friends. Welcome back to Counselor Chat.

For those of you that are just joining me, my name is Carol Miller. I'm your host. I'm also a school counselor, a content creator, a conference host, and really your go to Galaxy for simplifying the school counseling life.

I think today's episode is kind of a fun one. It's a little peek behind the curtain and a break from some of the heavy stuff that sometimes we talk about here.

Because what we're doing is a midsummer Counselor catch up. I'm going to just share with you what I'm reading,

learning and loving this summer.

Because yes, even in July,

my brain is still working in counselor mode.

But that doesn't mean that we can't have fun while we learn and recharge, right?

So whether you're tuning in from your hammock, the car on your way to Target,

or your school office, because let's be real, some of us just can't stay away.

I've got some favorites to share that are keeping me inspired,

entertained, and maybe even a little more organized this summer.

So let's just dive in.

And I'm going to start off with what I'm reading. Because let's start with the books this summer I've finally picked up Atomic Habits by James Clear. And I talked about James Clear and Atomic Habits on the podcast before, and I have read bits and pieces of the book, but I'm going to be totally honest here.

I haven't read it from COVID to cover,

and this summer I did.

And let me just say, it's one of those books that makes you want to reorganize your entire life,

but in a good way.

It's the idea of tiny habits stacking up to create big change.

And that's right up my alley, especially when thinking about how we build systems in our counseling programs.

And the cool thing about Atomic Habits is is that it's not a counseling book. It really has nothing to do with counseling at all. In fact, you can find it in the bookstore in the business section.

And what I really love about this is that you can relate it to every aspect of your life.

And guess what?

This summer we're also starting a Perks member book club and Atomic Habits is going to be our first pick. If you're a member of Perks Counseling Content Club,

you will not only get access to our book discussion,

but you can also earn one graduate credit through the University of the Pacific just for participating.

It's kind of like the perfect mix of personal growth and professional development.

Plus, you know how much I love a good excuse to highlight learning with credit because let's face it, I'm getting towards the end of my career here. I mean I'm 40 plus years and I really want to try to stack all those graduate credits in my corner as possible.

So you do know that graduate credits,

I'm just going to sneak this one in here. But graduate credits, not only do they help boost you on the salary scale,

but they're also great for when you are retiring because you get that boost and it transfers into your retirement.

And who doesn't want to make more in retirement as well? Because let's face it, they're already taking a bunch of it away because you're retired, you're no longer working. So you're only going to get a portion of your your paycheck.

So let's try to make that as high as possible.

All right, enough about graduate credits.

Another powerful read I've been digging into is the Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haid.

This one is an essential read for I think any educator or counselor working with today's youth. I mean explores the rise of anxiety, depression and social struggles among kids and teens.

And how our current tech immersed culture, especially with smartphones and social media,

how it plays a major role.

And Haid dives into the neuroscience, the timeline of digital dependence and he gives real research based solutions that schools and families can use to help this generation reclaim their connection,

resilience and well being.

It really is one of those books that just doesn't inform but it ignites change and I found myself nodding and highlighting the whole way through.

And I highly recommend adding it to your professional library especially as we think how to support our students post pandemic and in our ever evolving digital world.

Because let's face it, kids are born these days with an iPhone or a iPad kind of permanently mounted to them and they are looking for a quick fix at all times.

This was just great seeing the recommendations all Right. Let's talk about some other things that I love. Podcasts.

So yes, I host a podcast,

but my friends, I also really love listening to them. And if you're looking to fill your earbuds with some school counseling goodness this summer,

here are three I highly recommend.

School Counselor Simplified.

This is by Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling.

And this one's all about breaking down systems and making your counselor life easier.

It's like a breath of fresh air for an over complicated processes.

And the next is from another friend of mine, Lauren Tingle with High School Counselor Conversations. If you follow Lauren online,

she is behind counselor clique.

And even if you're not in high school, the tips in here, they're pretty golden. There are tons of great takeaways and it keeps things really real and practical.

And the last is by two hosts that I simply adore,

Laura and Kim.

And it's counselor accents.

I mean, they bring such heart and humor to the table. And their episodes always feel like you're having a chat with your your besties over a cup of coffee.

So I highly recommend you checking them all out.

All four of these ladies I like to consider. These are my friends.

These are people I like to talk to,

connect with, collaborate with,

learn from,

work with.

And if they're not on your playlist already,

I seriously think you should add them.

Those are three that I listen to all the time.

Don't forget about counselor chat though, because that's still an important one. And we want you to listen to this as well. But check out the other ones as well.

Now,

along with listening to things, I also love to really binge watch a little tv. I don't get to do it all the time,

but summer is a time where I get to do a little binge watching.

And yes, even school counselors and busy school counselors, they need a good binge session as well.

And so this summer, here are two shows that I really, absolutely love.

There's a new one, I really just started it. It's called Younger and it's on Netflix. And if you haven't seen this, it's about a 40 something woman who pretends to be in her 20s to re enter the publishing world.

There is some fashion, there's friendship, there's career drama,

it's light, it's funny, and it really is a total escape.

And then there's Castle. I remember watching Castle back in the day and right now I'm watching him on Amazon Prime. But it's a classic. I mean, it's a crime writer and a detective.

They're solving mysteries,

they have witty banter.

And there's a little bit of chemistry there too as well.

So sign me up for that because it's perfect for winding down after a long summer day.

Actually, I like to watch Castle in the morning as I'm having a little breakfast. And I will say I will probably have either a bowl of cereal,

some yogurt with granola, or my fave an everything bagel with a little one egg omelette on it with tomatoes and Swiss cheese and a little avocado.

So give me that. And Castle and ooh, I am in summer heaven.

Other things is what I'm cooking, or at least trying to, because this summer I've also been trying my hand at some new Mediterranean style recipes.

I'm talking lemony chickpeas, some grilled veggies,

maybe some herb yogurt sauces.

I don't know if I'm turning into a Mediterranean grandma or just really into olive oil. But it's been a delicious adventure so far.

And I will say we have been somewhat in this household on a little bit of a.

A health kick as my husband is kind of like a pre diabetic. They have kind of said to him, listen, you have to change from eating all the starches, eating all the good stuff and enjoy more fruits and vegetables and some of less of those starches.

So we've been really loving this Mediterranean style recipes.

And to keep it all organized, I've really found my new favorite app too. And it's called Mealboard.

It lets me save links to recipes,

rate them, categorize them, and basically geek out over my food planning like I do with my counseling data. It's been a total game changer. And if you love cooking or just want to stop asking what's for dinner seven nights a week,

this is golden. And what I really love about it is that you can import your links to different recipes from wherever you found it on the web. And you know how when you find a recipe on the web, you can scroll down and it's like, where is this recipe recipe where you get down to the recipe and you turn your head for like 30 seconds to add that ingredient to the bowl and the next thing you know,

you're back up at the top of the screen.

Well, this kind of gets rid of all the extra ads and stuff in your recipes and just gives you the recipe.

So it's been awesome. I love it.

And there's a few fun things on the horizon too.

Like this summer I am going to be. In fact, in just a couple days, I'll be attending the Ask A conference in Long beach and I'll be representing Perks Counseling Content Club in the Exhibitor hall.

So if you're going,

stop by and see me and Brandi because we'd love to say hi, top Little Shop,

and maybe give you a little sneak peek at what's coming to Perks soon.

Plus, we have some pretty cool giveaways if you ask me.

It's really a deep dive into how we move from being reactive all day to setting up systems that actually make room for Tier one and Tier two supports.

This conference. It's really full of some practical pd.

It's a great way to have connection with other counselors. And yes, we're going to have a lot of laughs as well.

Plus, you should see the stuff that I have for giveaways that people have been generously donating to the conference. It's awesome. I have things from planners to lanyards to books and packages and I mean all different kinds of stuff.

It's. It's pretty awesome.

So I really hope that you join us and there's still time to register at www.summercounselorconference.com.

and my friends, even if you're back to work by then, you can catch all the sessions at your own pace because Summer pd, it should work around your beach days.

Am I right?

So, my friends,

that's my summer catch up. I hope something in this episode gave you a little spark, whether it's a new book to read, a show to chill with,

or a way to get back into your groove before August creeps up on us.

And I'd love to hear what you are loving, what you're learning, or what you're reading this summer too.

So be sure to DM me on Instagram or email me through the website because we need to swap ideas.

And until next time,

remember to rest without guilt,

learn with joy,

and always,

always, my friends, take care of you.

I hope you have a good week and I'll see you next time on Counselor Chat.

Bye for now.

Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and at counselingessentials.org podcast. Be sure to hit follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast player and if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.

Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at counselingessentials. Until next time. Can't wait till we chat?

Bye for now.