98. Making Small Changes for Big Impact in Your Counseling Program

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: Hey there, counselors. Welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat. It's Carol here, and today we are chatting about one of my favorite topics and that is making small changes that will create a big impact in your counseling program.

Now, if you're thinking, Carol, I barely have time to drink my coffee, let alone overall overhaul my counseling program.

Don't worry, because this episode isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about shifting a few things around to make your work easier and more effective.

I want you to think of it as your counseling version of rearranging your living room. A little move here and there and suddenly the space just works better.

But let's start with a truth bomb. Big changes often start with small steps. You don't need a revolutionary new curriculum or an endless grant budget to make a difference.

Sometimes it's the tiny tweaks that ripple out into major improvements.

So recently I bought a nice mirror for my house and I was like, I want to do something. I mean, my living room doesn't get a lot of sun. We have three windows in the room, granted, but for some reason it just feels faces the side that doesn't really get a lot of sun.

So I bought this big mirror and I decided that I was going to place it over my couch so that it would kind of be across from the windows in the room.

And lo and behold, that strategic little move made the whole room feel brighter.

And these changes that I'm talking about today, that's what they are. They're small changes that are strategic little moves that can create big shifts in how your counseling program operates.

Quick, actionable changes can lead to lasting impact.

All right, are you ready? Because let's dive into some really practical ideas.

There is magic, I think in a check in board. You might have seen that before. There are those little boards that people sometimes put in classrooms or outside their office, and they're just little checking boards.

And students can really play sticky notes or magnets or Sometimes even popsicle sticks to really indicate how they're feeling and no names are required.

This can give you a quick pulse on the emotional climate of your school without scheduling a single appointment.

And if it's right outside your door and you have this little check in system, it's really cool to see where they put those post its or those magnets.

But it really also opens the door for students who might not otherwise reach out.

So maybe try a check in board.

I also love some 5 minute classroom visits because instead of trying to plan a full blown lesson into every classroom, maybe commit to five minute mini visits, share a quick coping strategy, maybe a motivational quote or even a mindfulness exercise.

In my one classroom I started a weekly morning check in. It didn't take more than five minutes. It was with a special ed class and they were having it was a 1211 class and they were really having a lot of trouble coming together.

So I went in and every morning I would have a student stand in front with me and we did morning affirmations and we just went through and it was like we named as many as we possibly could.

I am special. I am a good learner. I can do hard things. And we just took a few minutes and then we went around the room and everyone said something special.

They did their own affirmation and then the person who was with me up front got to high five everyone in the class.

Seriously, it didn't take very long. It was a five minute thing and because of the effect that it had, I was able to then transform it a little bit. And there was a sixth grade class next door.

I had some sixth grade volunteers who came in and buddied with the kids in that class and they took over.

So I was able to then go into another class and start the same program.

So these little things that you do, these five minute things can really go into something bigger. They can lead to something bigger.

But these five minute visits, it keeps you visible, it helps build relationships and it reinforces those key sel concepts with really without overwhelming your schedule.

Another easy thing to do that leads to big impact is to revamp your email signature.

Add a simple line to your email signature like need to talk? Here's how to schedule time with me and then include a link to your calendar app. If you use one, it's a tiny tweak that makes it easier for students and staff to reach out without all the back and forth email tango.

And what's not to love about a feel good file? If you don't have one. I recommend starting one. Designate a folder, either digital or physical, or maybe even an empty tin that you have and use it for all those positive notes from students, from parents, from colleagues, and on the tough days, flip through it for an instant boost.

It's a small habit, but it has a really big emotional payoff. I still have things in my field folder from 30 years ago and I love seeing them today just as much as I love seeing them back then.

You could also do some two question surveys because we want feedback, but we don't want to overwhelm our people. So if you send out quick two question surveys after lessons, after your groups, or even meetings, you can find out exactly what's on their mind.

All you have to do is ask, what did you find helpful and what would you change?

This gives you actionable data without overwhelming you or your respondents.

You can even do a gratitude post it challenge. Leave a stack of sticky notes in the stack lounge with a single prompt. Write something you're grateful for and over time you'll create a wall of positivity that brightens the space and the moods with very minimal effort.

I mean, seriously, how long would it take you to On a piece of paper, write something that you're grateful for and leave a stack of post it notes and a pen that's like less than a minute's time.

Once again, brightens the space, brightens moods, minimal effort.

And just like my living room with the mirror, you can do some office environment tweaks, add a plant, rearrange some chairs to be more welcoming, put up some inspiring quotes, maybe take down those posters that are super faded and replace them with some newer ones.

A small change in your environment can shift the energy of your space, and that not only will make your students feel more at ease, it'll make you feel more at ease too.

And then we have our peer mentorship pairings. Remember how I said our sixth graders started to come in and do the little buddy thing with my 1211 class? Well, you can set up a simple buddy system for maybe your classes or maybe for new students, but pairing kids together with a peer, it doesn't require a full program, just a quick introduction and maybe a follow up check in.

So peering kids together, super easy.

Big paybacks.

You can also schedule so no meeting time blocks. Block off one period a week where you don't take on any meetings. I like to think of this as the white space in my calendar, but actually it's probably a little bit more than white space because I'm actually Scheduling this block of time that I'm not doing meetings.

And this is your time to catch up, to breathe, and to work on proactive initiative.

It's a small boundary that protects your time and your energy. And if you're not blocking off periods where you're like, no thanks, no one's at home, you're really doing yourself a disservice.

We have to have that time scheduled so that we can do the things that matter. Whether it's just taking it for ourselves with a moment or two to breathe or do some of those other things that maybe we've put on our to to do list for a really long time.

And then one of the last things that you can do that I think really makes a huge impact is to make a positive phone call home. Maybe choose one student each day to call home with some good news.

It takes about five minutes, but it creates lasting goodwill with families and it strengthens your relationship with students.

And what student doesn't want their parent to be called for good news? Because let's face it, some of the kiddos that we work with, the only time their parents are called is when they've done something wrong.

So we can change that. You know, I often think that those calls home that have been made like, hey, your kid's failing or your kid is not doing their, their schoolwork or your kid got in trouble today, or oh my gosh, your kid wouldn't stop talking.

And it created havoc in the classroom when those calls are made. It really.

Those are some of the reasons why our parents don't have good connections with schools because they're also remembering back to when they were in school and they had those calls home and how they weren't good.

So we want to erase some of those negative stigmas and negative images with more positive ones. And a short, little, simple positive phone call can start to change the perception of people.

The beauty of these small changes, though, is how they ripple out. Because a quick check in board can spark conversations that never would have happened. A five minute classroom visit can build trust with students who might never walk into your office.

It's like planting those tiny seeds that grow into a huge garden over time.

So, my friends, I'm going to leave you with this.

What small change will you make this week?

Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to start. Because in the end, it's those little shifts that create the biggest impact.

That's it. I said it was going to be short and sweet. And that is today's episode of Counselor Chat.

I hope you found this helpful, and if you did, I hope you could share it with a fellow counselor who could use some quick, easy wins. But until next time, keep doing the amazing work that you are already doing.

And remember, small changes, big impact.

All right, until next time. 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 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.