Encouraging Words for School Counselors: Recent Episodes
Inspire Success
Inspire Success hosts this weekly podcast of encouraging short stories from school counselors about school counseling. The free 5-10 minute podcasts airs weekly with heartening short stories and practical tips from school counselors to make your workweek a bit lighter.
K-12 school counselors help students succeed by working to close academic achievement gaps and grow student social-emotional health, but don’t forget the importance of helping students discover a passion for a future career. Arizona School Counselor of the Year Kristina Guy joins the podcast once again to explain how counselors can better connect students to potential careers.
What if your state decided it was important for EVERY school to have a comprehensive counseling program in place - even if it wasn’t the ASCA National Model - and made it easy for schools to implement the program? That’s the question Indiana posed, and answered, by developing a comprehensive counseling program called Carrying the Torch to Student Success AND developing a free online learning platform so that every school could implement the program. Listen in to hear how Indiana made all of this happen.
Arkansas School Counselor of the Year Christy English shares a hilarious story of the best kindergarten graduation ever (which includes a zebra and a gorilla) and why advocating for your role as a professional school counselor can make a world of difference. About Christy English Mrs. Christy English, Ed.S, is the Professional School Counselor at Rose Bud Elementary School in central Arkansas and also the Arkansas School Counselor of the Year. Christy has worked in education for 20 years, 10 years as a school counselor, and is the proud mom of two boys, one Pugapoo (Pooh La Rue the Pugapoo,…
If you need a boost of positive energy as you wrap up a long school year, you’ll love another engaging conversation with New Jersey High School Counselor - and last year’s New Jersey School Counselor of the Year - Indra Owens. Check it out for some great resources and lots of laughter to kick-start your summer.
The commonwealth of Virginia’s School Counselor of the Year Christina Tillery is not only going back to college to earn her PhD, she’s also learning how to be a successful school counselor through everyday lessons as a high school counselor. Hear why she says learning is sometimes a “pleasant slap in the face.”
The title of this week’s podcast summarizes the content of a robust conversation with Elementary School Counselor Josh Nelson about several practical resources that can help ANY student succeed. Listen in on this chat with one of the 2023 ASCA National School Counselor of the Year finalists.
Illinois School Counselor of the Year Nancy Fernandez is a living example of how using data can produce benefits for students AND school counseling programs.
The term “small but mighty” could apply to K-2 school counselor Layla Green Touchet who at 5’0” stands tall as the 2022 Louisiana School Counselor of the Year. Layla is a go-getter currently working on her PhD in Counseling while connecting in unique ways with her students, especially those with ADHD and Autism, and even one or two who bite.
Magnolia State School Counselor of the Year Dr. Ebonee Magee-Dorsey grew up in the small town of Monticello, Mississippi and returned to the community nine years ago to expand and transform the school counseling program there. Listen in as she discusses with Inspire Success’ Aimee Portteus her passion, her favorite resources, and her recent frustration with the NFL.
If you need some school counseling time saving tips, scheduling suggestions, and escapism resources to relax after a long day at school, you’ll want to listen in to this engaging podcast with Tennessee School Counselor of the Year Emily Fain Lynch.
For most school counselors, few days go as smoothly as planned. But making the most of the unexpected, including finding a cat in a backpack and learning that a Diet Coke can set off a jail cell alarm, are just a few of the stories Middle School Counselor Danielle Schultz shares with us this week. It’s just another day in the life of a school counselor!
What does it take to be recognized as school counselor of the year? For School Counselor and College and Career Coordinator Lydia McNeiley, it’s a mixture of continual improvement, student advocacy, and de-processing at the end of the day by singing your favorite songs in the car on the way home, as loud as you can. Listen in as Lydia shares more on these and other ways she promotes student success.
Each of us brings a mix of ourselves to the work we do and love, which is why there isn’t one recipe for being a successful school counselor. In this week’s podcast, Illinois School Counselor Bernard Starks shares how baking, photography, breathing exercises, and even McGruff the Crime Dog have all contributed to his experiences as a professional school counselor.
Enjoy a lively conversation with three school counselors from Indiana whose corporation-wide service learning program for students at ALL grade levels– called Triton Gives Back – has become quite successful. You’ll also learn what role Hugh Jackman and Robert Downey Jr. played in the program’s success!
For something different, we asked school counselors to tell us what resources they felt no school counselor should do without, and to have a little fun with it. The resulting answers make for an enjoyable podcast and a wonderful Christmas list for the hard-to-shop-for-school counselor (but good luck finding THESE items!).
Affinity is defined as a “similarity of characteristics suggesting a relationship.” Using this definition, the American School Counselor Association has formed “affinity groups” for new school counselors, rural school counselors, and many more, including a school counselors of color affinity group. Aimee Portteus shares a conversation this week with high school counselor Lukas Mendoza to learn more about his involvement in ASCA’s School Counselors of Color Affinity Group.
Every day when you return home from school, wouldn’t it be great if you were engaged in an activity that you love, keeps you fit, AND continues to benefit students? Michigan School Counselor Kelsey Smith has managed that unique balance, and shares the secret sauce of her success this week with Aimee Portteus. About Kelsey Smith Kelsey Smith is in her 12th year as a school counselor, formerly serving nine years at the middle school level but currently serving at the high school level. She is the Local Club Leader and coach for FYR (Forging Youth Resilience) Detroit. Kelsey says…
With only five years under her belt as school counselor in Texas, Ashley Wright has already been recognized as an outstanding school counselor. Listen in this week to discover the two resources Ashley says are key to her success, her practical tips on working with teachers and community partners, and why her students lovingly refer to her as Counselor DJ Ash-Bash!
When you have worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator for almost 20 years you learn what works and what doesn’t. This week, our guest Alisa Kaczorowski shares the practical tips she has learned about what works with trauma-informed care.
With much enthusiasm, guest school counselor Lezlie DelVecchio-Marks shares with us how the growth mindset has not only helped her students but herself, the challenges of achieving RAMP, and the many practical ways she fosters “connections” with her students.
Guest School Counselor Marianne Matt describes why her high school students love the Accuplacer (yes, really), a favorite time-saving trick, and her rediscovered habit of journaling.
Join us for a brief message as we take a summer break after a long school year and share a few upcoming changes to the podcast, including how YOU can be a part of the new Inspire School Counselors podcast coming this fall.
More than a decade ago, in an effort to help a struggling student stay engaged with and eventually graduate from high school, counselor Aimee Portteus and her student Hannah developed a friendship and a fundraising effort that dramatically shows the power of what school counseling can do for students and communities.
Though she has been a school counselor for only 8 years, Missy Smith is already the President of the Oklahoma School Counselor Association and a former state School Counselor of the Year. But her rise to leadership, though swift, required Missy to overcome some tough personal challenges.
Students are sometimes surprised to see us at the grocery store or in a public place not tied to a school event. Betsy Kanagawa has found that these moments, and other times when we help students see us as our true selves, can actually be a way of strengthening connections with students.
To get a comprehensive picture of what a school counselor does, take a listen to Virginia School Counselor of the Year Kathleen Otal. She has been a counselor from first grade to high school graduation and has learned a few lessons along the way.
Almost every school counselor would like to have more time with students. That’s because we know, as our guest Donna Brooks reminds us this week, that the purposeful use of time and evidenced-based practices with students can truly yield positive results.
Have you ever thought about transferring to another school or school district? Maybe one with fewer challenges?! If you’re thinking of Alaska, think again. Alaska’s School Counselor of the Year Elizabeth Congdon-McGee shares time with us this week with a reminder that school counseling is hard work no matter where you are.
Promoting anti-racism and anti-bias in schools can be tricky. But in our continued conversation with Ricky Almeida and Rebecca Cohen from Portland, Oregon, the results of empowering student voices benefit not only students but the entire school culture.
What’s better than an incredible, enthusiastic, and effective school counselor? The answer: two school counselors who share those attributes. Listen in on this first of a two-parter with middle school counselors Ricky Almeida and Rebecca Cohen from Portland, Oregon as they share stories AND resources that you’ll want to know about.
In this week’s series highlighting school counselors of the year, we talk with TaRael Kee who’s work as a school counselor and school counseling advocate reaches across the country.
The work Kara Schmidt does with schools and students goes beyond yoga and mindfulness practices. She helps build students’ resilience so they can get back to learning.
Are school counselors too realistic or overly optimistic? This week we hear from Arizona School Counselor of the Year Kristina Guy who answers that question by believing ALL of her students are college capable but in need of guidance to ensure they consider multiple pathways to reach their end goals.
For Jillian Fackenthal, recognition as Florida’s School Counselor of the Year means thinking differently, collaborating with others, and involving students in finding solutions – even when success is measured in nontraditional ways.
Transitioning from being a teacher to a school counselor is not uncommon. But for School Counselor of the Year Belinda Tutor, it was a calling that has opened new doors of opportunity for her and her students.
Todd Schimmell is not your typical School Resource Officer (SRO). Not only can he handle tough situations he is also an author, an illustrator, and a great benefit to the school district’s school counseling program.
Listen as Indra Owens, school counselor at Chelsea Heights School in Atlantic City and the 2020 New Jersey School Counselor of the Year, shares her personal passion to educate, engage, empower, and equip families with the tools they need to take advantage of social-emotional and mental health supports.
Political discourse around social-emotional learning has risen to a fever pitch in some communities around the country. One way to lower the temperature is to do what Stephanie Stewart Bridges does, keep the focus on students.
We begin a series of podcasts focused on school counselor of the year candidates including some, like Kimberly Raymond, who share their success with real and not-so-real helpers.
Helping students become aware of when things are working right, or the way they want them to work, is a principle concept of brief counseling. This week’s guest Carey Hughes shares the perfect example of putting this principle into practice with students.
If you’ve ever thought, ‘I wonder how well mindfulness techniques actually work in the classroom,’ listen in this week as Oklahoma School Counselor Specialist Sarah Kirk shares two stories of the ways in which mindfulness has benefited students AND teachers.
Dr. Russell Sabella is our storyteller again this week, with three essential lessons learned from a group of boys about how to keep students who are ‘at-promise’ engaged.
As we enter the new year, well-respected author and resource provider Dr. Russell Sabella shares a favorite story of a ropes course experience with at-risk students that produced several unexpected positive results.
What quotes or phrases resonate the most with you? The start of a new year is a good time to reflect on these encouraging words, and the helpful practice of regularly reviewing these words in the days ahead.
Be sure to add a very important person to your gift-giving list this holiday season: YOU. This week we explore the business of busy-ness and the value of using the holiday break to “break” unhealthy habits.
There is an unrecognized group of students who truly admire their K-12 school counselors. Though you may not always realize they exist, this week’s guests reveal that many school counselors have their own secret fan clubs.
When Mindy Weaver-Flask submitted her graduate school application for School Counseling, the college lost it and told her she had to reapply. Instead of taking that as a sign she shouldn’t be a counselor, Mindy saw it instead as indication to be persistent. In this week’s story, Mindy shares WHY she feels her persistence will pay off.
What happens when a male, Latino police officer is encouraged to consider being a school counselor? It comes down to trust and believing, as you’ll learn in this week’s story from Anuar Velazquez.
It is not unusual for counselors to have several students from the same family on their caseload. For School Counselor Stephanie Payne, her experiences with three students in the same family was the subject of an encouraging note from Mom.
Though school counselors know some of the best counseling “techniques” are the basics – such as empathy, caring, and active listening – it can be a challenge to find time to practice these with students. But the payoff from using these skills can sometimes be noteworthy.
In this Sharing Thanks story, Jenny Scott tells why a hand-made card & bloody Ziplock bag were part of the most memorable birthdays she ever celebrated.
We start our November Sharing Thanks series with the touching story of a six-word note that Bruce Bushnell received from a student years ago. Though it was a short note, it meant the world to both Bruce and his student.
Counselors interact with students hundreds of times each day and never know which interactions will resonate most. Fabion Vicks shares one of these moments that ended up being a lasting memory for him.
Often the most helpful advice is not something startling new, but something familiar that hits a chord with us at the right moment. This week’s guest Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge reminds us of how we can be helpful to students and parents by starting with a simple phrase.
School counselors know there are many ways to reach students; sometimes through conversations, artwork, sports, and even music. This week we share our listeners’ 2021 Encouraging Songs for School Counselors playlist which might be useful to both students and counselors.
For many school counselors the last two years have been rough, but imagine what recent school counselor graduates must be going through. For perspective, new counselor Cal Beneze shares his unique insights this week with advice on how to make it through.
If you think you have a bizarre story about something that happened while online with a student, wait until you hear this week’s story from Chloe Benjamin.
With more than 30 years of experience in career counseling, Spencer “Skip” Niles’ work with students reflects the Maya Angelou quote that appears on his email signature which says, “My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Though it often takes some interpretation by a counselor or teacher, career readiness assessments can make a positive and lasting impression on student success.
Kuder Career Coach Alesia Ruffin has a three-point career exploration strategy for her 7th through 12th grade students in Alabama: 1) Build relationships, 2) Diminish generational “curses,” and 3) Create opportunities. In this week’s podcast Alesia shares her belief that career guidance is an investment in our students’ future.
No matter how often we listen to others, it often requires a different perspective to hear what others are saying. This week’s story from Elizabeth Moore describes how that maxim strengthened the bonds between a student and her mother.
Student suicides are devastating tragedies that many school counselors, sadly, have experienced at one level or another. But there is hope. Hear how Dr. Greg Hudnall’s vow to prevent one more suicide at his school has turned into an international movement.
School counselor Laura Guido shares two creative ways to develop trust and deepen connections between students and caring adults.
Jan Desmarais-Morse has worked as a school counselor for more than 30 years and is a former state school counselor of the year. But in this week’s Encouraging Words for School Counselors podcast, Jan shares how finding ways to combat childhood sexual abuse is a never-ending challenge.
This week we feature one of our favorite podcasts from the past year. Retiring school counselor Kent Cocking shares a story of a 60 year old retiree whose love for learning touched the lives of all those around him.
Collecting and using data may be the last thing some school counselors want to do. But in this week’s summer rebroadcast we hear how Kentucky School Counselor of the Year Amy Beal used data as an effective advocacy tool to help more students have a positive school experience.
While on vacation this summer, host Matt Fleck saw a sign at a farmers market that said, “Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” In this summer rebroadcast, school counselors Trudi Wolfe and Melissa Keeley explain why this particular phrase is especially meaningful to their work as counselors.
Helping our students succeed can sometimes take us on journeys we don’t expect. Indiana high school counselor Allen Hill shares a story this week about how helping one of his students helped HIM grow as a professional school counselor.
Summer is a great time for reconnecting with our families and for recalling the tremendous support we receive from our “school families.” In this summer rebroadcast, Kim Crumbley reflects on the family values that support her work as a school counselor.
Why do school counselors choose to be school counselors? Listen in as an elementary counselor, a former middle school counselor and a high school counselor share their reasons for choosing this profession focused on improving the lives of students.
Perhaps the best way for school counselors to know if their work makes a difference is to listen to the words of students and colleagues. This conversation between Tif Bernard and Amy Seigle about counselor Hedy King reflects the very reason for recognizing school counselors and the work they do.
The pandemic forced all of us to reach deep within ourselves to muster confidence, be creative, and find comic methods of relief. South Dakota School Counseling and Career Development Specialist Andrea Diehm did all of these things as she shared her reflections earlier this school year.
How did middle school counselor Jennifer Henriquez cope with COVID and the stresses of school counseling? She became a Life Coach and says this process can help others, too.
More listeners share their end-of-the-school-year stories, both humorous and touching, that highlight current and future school counselors’ super powers.
Years ago, Kent Cocking took a counseling job at his area career center thinking it would be temporary, and then he met John who taught him you’re never too old to learn.
The work of school counselors is often compared to planting seeds. If we’re lucky, we occasionally get to share in the results of our hard work as Stephanie Brinsley did this spring.
School counselors understand students may "awfulize" (using Albert Ellis' term) a situation, making it more terrible than it is So can adults. Kelly Dunn shares a story of how thinking differently about an issue can bring it to a screeching halt.
Sometimes the greatest rewards of being a school counselor come in a small note or the barest of smiles from a student. If you can relate to that feeling, you’ll appreciate the beauty of the small win shared by this week’s guest Bob Tyra.
Helping students explore and experience multiple postsecondary possibilities before graduation is a central role of school counselors. This week’s guest shares how her school corporation found a creative way that engaged both students and educators!
It may be time to take another look at ways to organize school counseling programs that lead to more support for school counselors and more time to work directly with students.
School counselors’ work in helping students succeed is magnified when other organizations collaborate in providing families with information and motivation. Learn how the non-profit organization Catisha Coates-Toney has created is doing just that.
For this spring break edition of the podcast we pull another favorite from our archives. This story, from former middle school counselor Mary Pouch, reminds us that it can be helpful for counselors to be there when students bump into reality.
From our archives, Indiana’s 2021 School Counselor of the Year Connie Sivertson reminds us not to forget about our highest achieving and most resilient “schoolproof” students who need school counselors’ support just as much or more as other students.
Hope springs eternal not only for warmer weather and freedom from the pandemic, but for a mid-semester break for counselors, educators, and administrators. Whether you’re still in school or on vacation, we offer a short reminder of why sharing your stories helps us all cope with the school year.
When the relationship between a veteran school counselor and new counselor intern “clicks,” amazing things can result. Counselor intern Kathleen Whybrew shares the many ways students have benefited from the positive relationship with her counselor supervisor Laura Samide.
For school counselors like Dr. Nicole Fields, the key to helping students succeed and thrive is staying connected; even in the midst of a pandemic.
School counselors may never “like” using data, but, as Kentucky School Counselor of the Year Amy Beal found out, data CAN be an effective advocacy tool to help more students have a positive school experience.
One of the surest ways of promoting positive student behavior is to highlight occasions when students do good, whether in big or small ways. School Counselor Elishia Basner has found that this practice results in benefits that go beyond the walls of the school building.