Introducing the School Counselor

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are many people who do not really know what the role of the school counselor is at the elementary school level. In many school districts, the school counselor position is relatively new. If it is difficult for adults to understand what the school counselor does, how can children possibly understand? It is something that I struggled with. I wasn't sure how to effectively explain the many different things the school counselor does on a day to day basis. As I was searching "pintrest" for ideas on how to introduce the role of the counselor, I found an awesome intro lesson pinned by savvyschoolcounselor.com. The counselor's first aid kit!

I adapted the first aid kit a little bit from what was in the kit featured on savvyschoolcounselor.com. In my tool kit, I included:

• Tissues-When you are feeling sad or upset, the counselor is a great person to talk to. The counselor can help you dry your tears, but also remind you that crying is OK, and even healthy!
• Jolly Ranchers-Going to see the counselor never means that you are in trouble, it is always a treat! Even when you're upset, the counselor can make you feel better, just like a treat can.
• Star-Like the North Star can guide people when they are lost, the counselor can act like the "North Star" of the school by helping if you are feeling lost, you are confused, or you are unsure how to solve a problem.
• Penny- "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck!" The penny represents how the counselor reminds each and every student that we are lucky to be who we are and that we are valuable.
• Band-Aid- Counselors help to heal you when you are hurt on the inside, just like a Band-Aid helps us heal when we are hurt on the outside.
• Erasers- Everyone makes mistakes. The counselor can help you to work through your feelings when you make mistakes, can help you fix mistakes, and teach you not to make the same mistakes again.
• Cotton Balls- Just like a cotton ball feels warm and fuzzy, the counselor has warm and fuzzy feelings, too! Whenever you are feeling down, the school counselor can help you feel better.
• Safety Belt: The counselor is always there to help you feel safe, and to save you from scary, upsetting, or stressful situations. The counselor can provide support, help, and love to get you through the tough stuff.
• Headphones- The counselor is a great listener, and is always there to lend an ear when you need to talk to someone.

When using the first aid kit in an introduction lesson, I pull each item out one at a time, and I have the students pass them around. I ask what each item is usually used for. Then, I ask for ideas about why I might have that item in my "counselor's first aid kit", and use that discussion to explain the many roles, and how activities like groups, lessons, and lunch bunches fit in. For example, classroom lessons fit in the explanation of the star. I teach students how to solve problems, how to be a good friend, how to make good choices, etc. Lunch parties and groups can fit in that description, as well as the jolly rancher/treat explanation as well, in that groups are fun, and we work on many different skills to get us through tough situations.

If there is time after talking about each of the items, I read a story, usually about a character that is having a problem with a friend or a certain feeling. Good examples would be "Angry Arthur" by Hiawyn Oram, "Stop Picking on Me" by Pat Thomas, or "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorist. Once I finish the story, as a group we discuss how the characters in the story may have been able to get help from the school counselor. It is a great way to connect the things we talked about to an actual situation!