Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving

I've just completed my second rotation of classroom guidance and the topic was conflict resolution and problem solving. I usually do this lesson later on in the semester but after collaborating with some teachers and my co-counselor, it was determined that it would be more beneficial to do earlier in the year. Since I became a full time counselor six years ago, I've been implementing the program I'm about to describe and I absolutely LOVE it, it's developmentally appropriate, easy to understand, and can be implemented school wide. Teachers especially like it because it helps the students work to solve their own problems.

The program is called Kelso's Choices and comes with multiple posters, a DVD, a puppet, a storybook, curriculum manual, and a CD to print reproducible pages for distribution. It's a bit expensive but through collaborating with our generous PTO, they were able to purchase the program for us!

What it's all about: During the lesson we first discuss what conflict is and how since we're all different and unique- disagreements and problems come up from time to time and it's what you do to solve it that counts! Students are informed that they all have the skills to work through their own problems they just need to figure out what works best for them and that situation. All problems are broken down into two categories; small problems and big problems. Big problems are problems that involve safety (them or someone else getting physically hurt) or when two or more choices are unsuccessful at solving a small problem. The only solution for a big problem is to tell an adult they trust because the problem is too big for them to solve on their own. All other problems are considered small problems and they can try different strategies to work through it themselves before getting an adults help. During the lesson we watch the DVD that describes this in more details then afterwards have a discussion, do some role-playing of different scenario's, and discuss "I" messages for effective communication.

HIGHLIGHT for Teachers and Parents: When a student or child comes to you with a problem that doesn't involve safety ask them, "What did you do to try to solve the problem?" If they don't mention several strategies 'on the wheel' tell them to refer to the wheel to help them solve the problem. Encourage them that they have the ability to work through the problem and also tell them that if they still have the problem after trying several possible solutions to then let you know so you can brainstorm together to solve the problem.

All teachers were supplied with a copy of the wheel to post in their classroom, if you'd like an extra copy or would like to implement the program at home let me know and I'll get you a copy of the wheel!

HIGHLIGHT for Counselors: I often refer to 'the wheel' when I do individual and small group counseling. I have a poster displayed in my office and classroom for reference.

5th grade lesson:

I purchased a curriculum last year that I've used in individual counseling and have been excited to use in classroom guidance, after some brainstorming I adapted it for a 40 minute classroom guidance lesson for 5th graders and it went well! One of my favorite counseling writers is Diane Senn and you'll see me refer to her a lot here on the blog. Some of my counselor friends and I often refer to her by first name as if we know her personally or she's one of our dearest friends, we do that with a lot of others including Danielle (from school counselor blog) and 'the Julia's' (Julia Taylor and Julia Cook)....we get a good laugh out of it but what can I say- their stuff is good and we referred to them a lot.

Anyway, the book I used for this lesson was Coping with Conflict and I used it to create a "Timely Tools Box," it included laminated conflict resolution cards and "Timely Tools Conflict Cards." For the lesson, I distributed the resolution cards around the classroom and each student that had one stood up, showed it to the class, and read the description on the back (there were about 16 total). After all the possible solutions were shared and discussed the remaining students received a conflict card that they took turns reading. They then chose a possible solution they would use if they had that problem. This lesson was great because it gave ALL the students in the class an opportunity to participate. Students were encouraged to keep an open mind because how a classmate might solve a problem might be different from them. This was a great way for them to see all the different ways different problems could be solved!

To purchase these resources and to see other conflict resolution resouces click here.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Fall is such a wonderful time of year and my favorite season, with it comes some of my favorite initiatives to support the community while building community and character of students at our school. Each year we do a Thanksgiving food drive to support a community agency in our area. This year from October 3rd-28th we're asking students to bring in canned food and non-perishable items to support the Salvation Army. When students bring in items they will be placed in a designated location in their classroom, they can also put them in the box in the front office.

Each Friday members of the student council go around to each classroom to collect the items. This week I look forward to meeting with them to create posters to display around the school, morning show announcements, and develop some sort of incentive to promote donations. I look forward to sharing the amount of goods we collect!

The holiday's are a wonderful time of year to be thankful for the things we have while also providing support to others in our community. Help us help others to enjoy a healthy and delicious meal!

Anderson Cooper 360 "Bullying: It Stops Here"

October is National Bullying Prevention Month!

Be sure to tune in tonight @ 8pm EST to watch Anderson Cooper's snapshot on stopping bullying on CNN!

Click here for more details!

Accountability & Data

Working in the schools certainly has its advantages including beginning each year with a fresh new start. With that in mind I create a new goals based evaluation (GBE) for each year that allows me to cater to the needs of the school while also enhancing my comprehensive and developmental counseling program. Lots of people don't like working with data and get nervous when thinking about accountability but the great thing about it is that it shows the VALUE and NEED for what we do! You can report how many classroom guidance lessons you facilitate, how many students you see in a month and the frequency, and how many small groups you counsel- but the important questions that go with this information are, "Did it make a difference?", "Is what I'm doing helping others?", and "Is this contributing to my goals for the program and are they aligned with my school?" To do this you need the right data AND you need to know how to analyze it!

A FANTASTIC resource I use to assist me with this is Making Data Work

This resource is so wonderful because it gives you all the information you need about the data collection and analysis process while also demonstrating how it aligns with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. My first recommendation to counselors is to not get too overwhelmed or bogged down with the data process. First, select one goal for each domain: academic, career, and personal/social then figure out how to answer that goal/research question using data (a mix of the different techniques you use to counsel is also a great comprehensive approach: individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom guidance). Oftentimes, the question of what data you need to answer your research question's or even what to do to obtain that data will answer itself!

I'm a member of my schools data team and I use that to my advantage to help me advocate for my program (adminstration and a teacher representative from each grade level make up the team along with several members of the special education department and the school psychologist) while also using the data twofold: to support the school and my counseling program. Below are my goals and I'll be going into more detail on them at a later time:

Academic: To decrease the number of identified red and yellow zone students as identified through the Response to Intervention (RtI) process. To do this I will implement study skills small groups as one supportive intervention.

Career: To enhance student awareness of the different career clusters and choices available to them upon completing school while also linking career choices with academic success. To do this I will be implementing several classroom guidance lessons on careers along with a career week that includes a school wide career day and college day.

Personal/Social: To decrease the number of identified red and yellow zone students as identified through the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system newly implemented at the school. To do this I will implement social skills small groups as one supportive intervention.

Again, I'll be going into more detail on each of these goals in the near future. To purchase the above resource or to see other useful books about data and accountability, click on the purchase resources link under highlights or click here.

Homeless Liaison/Community Support

There are many times when I feel so fortunate to live in this country and do the work I do. Today I was reminded of this when I went to a training on services available to individuals in my community that are homeless, don't have medical coverage, haven't been to a dentist or received an eye exam/glasses, and in need of food, clothing, and/or shelter. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty there are 15 million children that live in the US that have family incomes below the federal poverty level. So what do we do to help?!

Parents- Are you experiencing a hardship? Do you need help with providing food, clothing, medical needs, etc. for your school age child(ren)? If so contact your school counselor so they can provide you with community resources that are available to help during this difficult time.

Teachers/Administrators/School Nurses/Faculty- Do you notice a child coming to school wearing the same clothing, tattered clothing, or clothing inappropriate for the weather? Do you notice that some students are hungry, asking for food to go home with, or expressing hunger on Monday's after a weekend out of school? Do you have students that need glasses or dental assistance? Let the school counselor know so they can provide support for the student and their family.

School Counselors- Stay connected with other professionals in the field and resource providers in the community to remain aware of services available to students and their families.

The bottom line.............there are federal programs and resources available to help but the only way to utilize them or ensure students get what they need is through one simple task COMMUNICATION!

So lets work together to ensure that students and families are having their basic needs met. As a school counselor it is my mission to do all I can to ensure that the environmental, medical, and educational needs of all children I work with are provided for and that all children can be kids. Through having basic needs met and not repeatedly having to worry about 'adult problems' students have a better capacity to develop positive social skills and are more 'teachable' in the classroom and in life.

What is the role of a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

Want to know what exactly and LPC is, what their job description is, and how to potentially obtain this credential?

If so click here for a free fact sheet provided by the American Counseling Association (ACA)!!

Resources I Use

Interested in purchasing any of the resources I talk about or recommend on this site? Then click on the link below to see where you can purchase these items for a great price!

Cournselor Cafe Resources