Top School Counseling Books of 2017

If you’ve been a follower of my blog then you are very aware of how much I enjoy learning and reading. This year has been no different!

Below are a couple of my favorite professional development books, as well as a curriculum I recently learned about at a training.

Disclosure of material connection: Some of the links in the post below are “affiliated links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive a small commission. With that said, I only recommend items that I have found useful as a school counselor and educator. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

• UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Dr. Michele Borba

I was lucky enough to hear Dr. Borba speak at the Learning and the Brain conference in Washington, DC this past spring. She has so much great information. The book was a great follow up from the conference. Part of why I love this book is because of the practical strategies mentioned. I also LOVE that she has a breakdown of what is appropriate for the age of the children or students you are working with. Also, if you haven’t already, make sure to check out the article section of her website. There is so much good stuff there.

 

• The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students by Jessica Minahan & Dr. Nancy Rappaport

I purchased this book for my school counseling library with hopes of learning a couple of new ways to approach students with challenging behaviors. I work in an elementary school that is a high-need, high free & reduced lunch rate, that houses both the E.D. (emotionally disabled) and gifted programs for the district. There are times when I am just not sure what direction to take with a student or situation. This book has become an amazing reference when I do get stuck. I love it so much I have also ordered The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related and Oppositional Behaviors and am looking forward to diving into that book, as well.

 

• Zones of Regulation by Leah Kuypers

Last Spring I attended a day-long Zones of Regulation training. It was so informative. I brought back tons of notes, resources, and information on this curriculum, as well as ideas on how to integrate it into my work as a school counselor. This year I am implementing it. I was able to get many of the books recommended by getting a donor’s choose project fulfilled. If your students struggle with self-regulation, check out this curriculum!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

#ASCA16 Roundup

Disclosure of material connection: Some of the links in the post below are “affiliated links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive a small commission. With that said, I only recommend items that I have found useful as a school counselor and educator. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

I was #NotAtASCA16 this year but I tried to gather as much info as I could from my fellow school counselors who were attending ASCA in NOLA this year.

Here are some of the great resources I discovered through TagBoard…

**Collective Notes on Google Docs**

Books:

For Professional Development –

• Leadership In The New Normal by Lieutenant General Russel Honoré
• Professional School Counseling Journal
• Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change, 3rd Edition (Applications of Motivational Interviewing) by William Miller & Stephen Rollnick
• The Grieving Student: A Teacher’s Guide by Schonfeld, Quackenbush, & Salamone
  • Additional book resources & information on supporting students
• Counting What Counts: Reframing Education Outcomes by Yong Zhao
• Brief Counseling That Works: A Solution-Focused Therapy Approach for School Counselors and Other Mental Health Professionals by Sklare
• College Counseling for School Counselors: Delivering Quality, Personalized College Advice to Every Student on Your (Sometimes Huge) Caseload by O’Connor
• The School Counseling and School Social Work Treatment Planner, with DSM-5 Updates, 2nd Edition (PracticePlanners) by Knapp, Jongsma, & Dimmitt
• Making Data Work by Kaffenberger & Young
•  The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, 3rd Edition by American School Counseling Association
• Evidence-Based School Counseling: Making a Difference With Data-Driven Practices by Dimmitt, Carey, & Hatch
• School Counseling to Close the Achievement Gap: A Social Justice Framework for Success by Holcomb-McCoy
• Facilitating Evidence-Based, Data-Driven School Counseling: A Manual for Practice by Zyromski & Mariani
• 101 Solutions for School Counselors and Leaders in Challenging Times by Chen-Hayes, Ockerman, Mason
• The Use of Data in School Counseling: Hatching Results for Students, Programs, and the Profession by Hatch
• The School Counseling and School Social Work Treatment Planner, with DSM-5 Updates, 2nd Edition (PracticePlanners) by Knapp, Jongsma, & Dimmitt
• How to Create a College Day and Other College Readiness Activities by King, Bowman, Taylor
• Counseling 21st Century Students for Optimal College and Career Readiness: A 9th-12th Grade Curriculum by Fitzpatrick & Costantini
• The Elementary / Middle School Counselor’s Survival Guide, Third Edition by Schmidt
• The School Counselor’s Book of Lists by Blum & Davis
• Making Diversity Work by Grothaus
• Behind the Counselor’s Door: Teenagers’ True Confessions, Trials, and Triumphs by Kuzcynski
• Mental Health Interventions for School Counselors (School Counseling) by Sink
• 40 Techniques Every Counselor Should Know (Merrill Counseling (Paperback)) by Erford
• Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools by Murphy
• Career Counseling in P-12 Schools by Curry & Milsom
• Ready, Willing, and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success by Savitz-Romer & Bouffard
• Kids Deserve It! Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking by Nesloney & Welcome
• The Straight-A Conspiracy: Your Secret Guide to Ending the Stress of School and Totally Ruling the World by Maats & O’Brien

 

To Use with Students –

• Julia Cook’s new book: Winners Don’t Whine and Whiners Don’t Win Released July 6, 2016
• What Do I Say About That? by Julia Cook – a book to use with children with incarcerated parents
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst – a book for loss (death, incarcertated parents)
• My Daddy Is in Jail: Story, Discussion Guide, and Small Group Activities for Grades K-5 by Janet Bender
• Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents by Stacey Burgess, Tonia Caselman, & Jennifer Carsey
• Mindfulness Skills for Kids & Teens: A Workbook for Clinicians & Clients with 154 Tools, Techniques, Activities & Worksheets by Debra Burdick
• Ellison the Elephant (with Audio CD) by Eric Drachman – a book about individual gifts and “finidng your own voice”
• Me & Dog by Gene Weingarten – a book about friendship
• On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein – a story about the power of imagination
• Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley – a brightly illustrated book about how everyone – even knights, wrestlers, and daddies – have feelings
• Louise and Andie: The Art of Friendship by Kelly Light – a cute tale about overcoming differences to form a friendship
• Wish You Were Here: Teens Write about Parents in Prison – Teens share their stories of how they did or didnt keep in touch with their incarcerated parents and the complicated emotions that come with reunification
• Healing Days: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma by Susan Farber Strauss

 

Websites, New Technology & Online Resources:

• Paper.li – Collect online content and publish for online audience
• Homiee – Helps students find college majors that match their personalities
• PDF List of Books to Use with Students – incarcerated parents, addiction, grief, witness of violence or trauma, & dealing with seperation 
• Sesame Street Tool Kits – variety of topics with both online and printable resources for kids & families
• ACA Competencies
• iKeepSafe.org’s BEaPRO Parent App for Online Safety
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction – Pupil Services Performance Evaluation Tools
• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction – Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
• College Board’s Score Resource Center for Students & Educators
• Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids & Alcohol Don’t Mix – resources & lesson plans!
• Solution-Focused Scaling Templates from Russell Sabella
• Lieutenant General Russel Honoré homepage
• This is Statistics – information for counselors
• Cheryl Brown Henderson & Brown Foundation
• The School Counseling Community Scholarship to ASCA
• Students at the Center: Recognizing the importance of support staff in a student-centered school
  • Also found here:
    • School Counselor Advocacy Letter
    • Tech-Based Student Support Resources
• The Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) Kit
• Ambiguous Loss Information
• Psych Central on the Stages of Change
• EverFi – Online Courses for Students
• Counseling Geek’s 10 Insanely Easy Ways to Infuse Technology into your School Counseling Program
• Pawsitive School Counseling Blog
• Youth Communication – “provides powerful, teen-written stories and professional development to help educators and youth workers engage struggling youth.”
• Emotions Kids Order Form $10 per set of 4
• Human Esources – age-appropriate products that align with ASCA
• Counselor Up’s Tips to Email Tranquility
• The Counseling Teacher’s Facebook Page
• Virginia School Counselor Association 2016 Conference Information
• Coalition to Support Grieving Students
  • Supporting Children and Family Survivors of Police Line-of-Duty Deaths
• For High School Counselors #ASCA Highlights
• My Data Bootcamp

 

Curriulum Information Websites:

• Second Step Counseling Curriculum
• Chicken Soup’s Hallway Heros
• Kelso’s Choice
• **FREE** Operation Respect’s Don’t Laugh at Me Curriculum **FREE**

 

So much great information! Thanks to everyone who shared information with the #ASCA16 hashtag so I could learn through your experiences.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Advocate for School Counselors

Disclosure of material connection: Some of the links in the post below are “affiliated links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive a small commission. With that said, I only recommend items that I have found useful as a school counselor and educator. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Have you seen this excellent graphic put out by NYU?

It was too good not to share…

Brought to you by Counseling@NYU: NYU’s new online master’s in school counseling

Looking for ways to advocate for yourself and your school counseling program?

Check out the following resources:

• The Missouri School Counselor Association has a great little article on practicle ways to advocate.
• If you a member of ASCA you can download past editions of the ASCA magazine. The September/October 2015 edition has some information in it about advocating for your program by using the ASCA model.
• The Arizona School Counselor Association put together an A-Z advocacy toolkit with great ideas to advocate for yourself and your program.

I’m currently reading Trish Hatch’s The Use of Data in School Counseling: Hatching Results for Students, Programs, and the Profession. I’m not too far into the book yet but she talks about how she has worked hard over the years to advocate for the school counseling profession and how data plays a role in that.

I’d love to hear how you are advocating for your program. I just finished my first year at my new school and feel that this is an area I want to work on as I grow as a counselor and grow in my position. I hope to implement some of the ideas above. I really like the idea of doing a parent and/or staff newsletter. I am thinking about trying to send one out once a semester this year and then hopefully grow into once a quarter. What are your goals?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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