94. National School Counseling Week: Outside-the-Box Ideas

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 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.

Carol: Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat. It's Carol here and I am so thankful that you are spending your time listening to me again this week. Today we are talking all about National School Counseling Week, which really is right around the corner.

And this is the time to really start thinking about what to do for that first week of February. Because like I said, it is right around the corner. It is coming up quick.

Now, whether this is your first National School Counseling week or your 10th or your 14th because it started in 2011, it's really the perfect opportunity to celebrate your work, advocate for your role, and engage your school community in fun and meaningful ways.

But here's the thing. I know that some of you are listening and you're gung ho about National School Counseling Week. And I know others of you are listening to the saying, why are you asking me to celebrate?

I'm the one that should be celebrating NSCW is ridiculous. And I get where you're coming from. Trust me, I do. But I also know that after 14 years of this work of advocating and celebrating NSCW, we still have a country that's pretty clueless as to what we do.

We work with admin who don't understand our role. We have fellow counselors who are struggling doing so many unrelated parts of the job that they don't get time to really work with kids in the work that we have been trained to do.

And yes, I have been known to say that what we're paid for isn't always what we're trained for.

But that's also why it's so important to, I think, celebrate National School Counseling Week.

And if not for yourself, maybe you are in a school that recognizes and appreciates and values the work that you do. We have so many colleagues that don't.

This is the time to band together and to really go full force as to what school counselors are, what they are supposed to really do, and why we're so important in the educational setting.

Because let's face it, my friends, half the time people think that we're just scheduling wizards or the people that help kids get into colleges.

And while we are wizards of the emotional and academic variety, there's so much more to our roles.

National School Counseling Week is our chance to show that.

So today we are really going to dive into how we can celebrate our work, advocate for our role, and engage our school community in some fun and meaningful ways.

But let's not settle for the same old bulletin boards and morning announcements. Nope. Today I want to talk to you about some outside of the box creative ideas to make your National School Counseling Week unforgettable.

Plus, maybe we'll sprinkle in some time saving tips and some social media strategies to really amplify your impact. Because I think if we can get on social media, we are going to hit more eyes.

So let's start by with a really quick reminder of why School Counseling Week is such a big idea.

It's really once again, it's your time to shine, to educate your school community, and maybe even others outside the community about the vital work school counselors do and to connect with students, staff and families in some pretty meaningful ways.

According to the American School Counselor Association, NSCW is all about highlighting the impact school counselors have on student success.

But here's the thing.

People can't celebrate what they don't understand.

That's why advocacy, sharing what you do and why it matters is so critical.

So how can we celebrate? What can we do? How can we advocate? Here are some fun little ways you could Host a counselor Coffee Chat Set up a cozy little space in the staff lounge one morning and invite some teachers and some admin to grab a cup of coffee and to really chat about your role.

Have a simple infographic or a flyer ready to explain how your work supports students and staff.

ASCA has some great flyers that are all ready to go. All you have to do is download and print.

Another idea that you could do is a student shout out wall. Maybe you can create a wall or a display where students can write or share how their school counselor has helped them.

This visual display is powerful and heartwarming. Plus it's a great advocacy tool. I mean, think about it. A wall that the kids have written on, maybe some like butcher block paper on the wall, take some pictures, put it out on social media.

Easy peasy. All you have to do is put the paper up and leave some markers.

Another activity that you could do is a little counselor scavenger hunt you can organize a school wide scavenger hunt where students maybe complete some fun tasks related to your role.

For example, they might find a calm down corner or guess how many student schedules you fixed this year. It can be interactive, educational and a whole lot of fun. You might even want to try some quick classroom pop ins.

Spend five minutes in each classroom sharing a fun fact about school counselors. Or maybe you just want to lead a really quick SEL activity.

This leaves a lasting impression and it doesn't take up too much of your time.

But hey, if you really want to turn heads, consider dressing up as your counseling superhero alter ego.

Now there are bonus points for capes and some theme music if you want to run around the school with that. I am not a costume wearer, but if I were, I would totally get decked up for School Counseling week.

And I do know some counselors that do. So if you have the costumes, put it on now. We also want to try to bring and host some activities that can bring our school community together.

So here's a few more activities to try.

Maybe get on the morning announcements OSCA does have some morning announcements about School Counseling Week that you can download, but maybe you also want to do a little mindfulness minute every day.

Kick off the day with a short mindfulness activity or maybe a positive affirmation that ties into National School Counseling Week. It really is a great way to start the day on the right foot.

You can also do some staff thank you cards.

Provide some blank thank you cards or let's face it, pieces of paper with some markers for students to fill out for their teachers, their bus drivers or their cafeteria staff.

This activity, although you're having kids thank other people, it really builds a culture of kindness and it showcases your leadership and sel.

You could also have a little career day collaboration.

Maybe work with a local business or two and host a mini career fair and tie it into your role as a career advocate. And you can showcase the way school counselors prepare students for the future.

The last suggestions I have for you all have to do with social media, because social media strategies really can give us some maximum impact.

And let's face it, we are living in the digital age.

So here are some strategies to help make your NSCW posts really pop. Create a daily theme. Post something different each day of the week. For example, it could be Monday, meet your school counselor, little photo in your bio.

Tuesday, maybe you share a success story.

This would be anonymous of course, about a kiddo that you worked with. Wednesday you can highlight your favorite counseling resource or lesson.

Thursday might be a behind the scenes look at your day and Friday maybe you want to give a little thank you message for students, staff and families.

I also every year make little social media posts about what we do as school counselors. And this year I have a little Lego theme going on and I want to share that with you.

So I am going to drop the link to this National School Counseling Week. The little posters that I made, the little pictures for Instagram, they're all little squares that you can post on your Instagram feeds too, or your whatever social media platform that you're on.

They're really cute and I want to share them with you. And of course they are free, so look for that in the show notes as you're posting. You also really want to make sure that you use hashtags.

So include hashtags like hashtag nscw2025 or hashtag school Counselors matter or maybe even hashtag better together.

That's going to help you reach a wider audience. And remember, if we can all go on to social media and just bombard it with all this great things about school counselors, think about the impact that we can make.

You also want to make sure you tag your district or your school and amplify your reach that way too.

And then engage your followers. Ask some interactive questions as you post, like what's one way a school counselor has helped you? Or maybe even host a poll because engagement boosts visibility.

Plus it's so fun to see all the responses that people leave.

You also want to use your post to kind of tell a story about your work, whether it's helping a student overcome a challenge or planning an SEL event. Because people also connect with stories and not just facts.

Add a little witty commentary because remember, no one expects your post to look like they came out of a Pixar studio, but they do want them to be uniquely you.

And as a final thought, whatever you do have, however much or however little that you do, it's so important to let people know that we are school counselors. We are vital to student success and we play an important role in our districts.

And even if you say I don't have the time to even post, just go on. Look for posts that are already out there on your favorite social media platform and like or comment and help that post reach more people.

And that doesn't take much time. So there's lots of little ways, my friends, that you can do something to help celebrate.

Let's wrap it up.

National School Counseling week. It's your moment to shine, to advocate, and to celebrate. But it doesn't have to be stressful. I think if you can use some creative activities, maybe engage your school community and really leverage social media, we're going to make a lasting impact.

And don't forget to celebrate yourself too, because my friends, you are making a difference every single day.

Our kids depend on you. They rely on you. They look up to you.

So go grab yourself a cup of coffee, go out to dinner, hang out with your friends, but do something to celebrate yourself. And if you try any of these ideas, let me know.

I really want to know how you're celebrating nscw.

Share your stories on social media and Tag me at CounselingEssentials on your social media handle. All right, my friends, thank you for tuning in to Counselor Chat. I hope you listened to this whole thing and didn't turn me off as soon as I started talking about School Counseling Week because it is important.

And if you have a friend who hasn't listened to this, share it with them too, because remember, we want to spread the word about the amazing work that you're doing.

Anyway, until next time, take care of yourself, keep doing all the amazing things that you're doing and have a great week. Bye for now.

Carol: 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@counningessentials.org.

Carol: Be sure to hit follow or.

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Carol: To leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.

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

Carol: Bye for now.