Top 3 Mistakes School Counselors Make

Surprised frustrated young woman

And how to correct them No matter whether you are in small school or a large one, a public school or a private one, school counselors often make the same mistakes. How do I know? I was a school counselor for 20 years and I’ve made them all myself.  The problem is that these mistakes…

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Connection with Kids

Two fathers play educational games with their children,

Connection with Kids In her book, The Good News about Bad Behavior, the author, Kathryn Lewis, identifies three steps that are taught in the Parent Encouragement Program. It will come as no surprise to counselors of all types that the first step is connection. Establishing rapport with a student is always the first necessary step…

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Every Child Needs a Champion

superhero boy and girl

  Don’t we all need a little encouragement like that from time to time? Someone to remind us of that all things are possible? Someone who accepts us just as we are without judgement, then helps us to be the better version of ourselves? Someone who isn’t just task focused (get the work done!) but…

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How many positive comments does it take?

positive vibes

The Benefits of Creating a Positive Environment What do you do when someone makes a critical comment? Hide in bed with a pillow over your head? Make a snappy come back…several hours later? Repeat it over and over to yourself? Shawn Achor in his book– The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That…

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The Secret Sauce for a Happy Child

Father and kids sitting on wooden dock

Positive and Negative Feedback Do you wonder what the key is to having happy children? Maybe you even wonder about the key to finding happiness in your own life? Turns out we don’t find happiness… it’s not even related to our circumstances.  Surprised? The Research on the Happiness Advantage In Shawn Achor’s  book, The Happiness Advantage, he…

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