High School Counseling Conversations‪®‬ Lauren Tingle, School Counselor

Even though for some of you, summer might feel so far away, in reality, it’s just around the corner. I know I was always ready to leave and start relaxing, but there are certain things that need to get done before heading out the door. I want you to feel confident and know that you have everything wrapped up from the year and are ready to start a new school year when you return. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing three major end-of-year items to help you close out your year.
There are a million things on your mind when it comes to wrapping up the year, but if you focus on student items, office items, and personal items, you will cover everything you need. With each of these end-of-year items, I provide you with a list and examples of ways to wrap things up. These items include credit recovery, transcripts, decluttering and getting rid of unnecessary paperwork, data, planning out your summer hours, certification hours, and more. I also share resources that would be helpful in closing out these three areas.
In order to truly close out the school year, it’s important to think through all the end-of-year items. I ask you to think about and reflect on the systems you have in place, how you’re keeping it all organized, and ways to communicate with students and parents. So, if you’re ready to close out for the summer, this episode is here to help you feel successful and organized! 
Resources Mentioned:
Freebie: Podcast Playlist for New High School CounselorsShop All: Bulletin Board ResourcesFreebie: Data Ideas Collection GuideResource: Digital Activities Mega BundleResource: Junior Year Planning GuideShop All Counselor Clique ResourcesPodcast: Episode 21- How to Close Out the Year as a High School CounselorPodcast: Episode 123- End of Year Data: What to Gather and Who to Tell About ItLeave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.comJoin the Clique...

Sometimes, the things we have to do as high school counselors aren't glamorous, exciting, or thrilling. However, that doesn't mean they're not important or essential for running our counseling programs. One of those things is analyzing data. It's likely that you've collected data throughout the school year, but as the end of the year approaches, you're probably thinking, what do I do with this? In today's episode, I'm sharing how analyzing your end-of-the-year data shows the impact you made this year. 
I've said this many times before, but I'll say it again because I truly believe it; one way to measure our effectiveness as a high school counselor is by this phrase: are students different because of what I'm doing here? It's such a powerful phrase, and the best way to visually see our impact is through data. Trust me, I understand that numbers and evaluation of your program can be intimidating, which is why I've come up with ideas on places you can start to pull your end-of-the-year data and present it in ways that will benefit your program. 
Taking the time to analyze your end-of-the-year data not only shows you how to make your counseling program better with more ways to help students, but it also reminds you of the impact you've made this school year. Whether you're looking at your goals from the year, groups you've implemented, or whatever personal dreams you have for your program, data shows you the answers you need to keep going or make some changes. So be sure to add end-of-the-year data to your to-do list before summer so you can make the appropriate changes to your program for next year! 
Resources Mentioned:
Free Podcast Playlist: New Counselor PlaylistFreebie: Data Collection Ideas GuideBlog: 4 Valuable Places to Share Your Compelling School Counseling DataBlog: Advance Your High School Counseling Program with Social Media: 4 Best PracticesBlog: 3 Unassuming Ways to Incorporate Perception Data Into Your High School Counseling ProgramLeave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.comJoin the Clique Collaborative
Full show notes on website: https://counselorclique.com/episode123

I’m shocked to say it, but today’s topic is a first for the podcast! It’s not something that we’re immersed in our day-to-day routine, but it’s so important in supporting student needs that, as high school counselors, we should be knowledgeable about it. That’s right, I’m talking about IEPs and 504s. Since I’m not an expert in this subject, I wanted to bring on a guest who has decades of experience and can help provide us with the information we need when attending IEP and 504 meetings.
Today’s guest, Catherine Whitcher, has a passion for solving special education struggles. She has earned multiple Special Education teaching certifications but left the classroom life behind to become a collaborative resource for parents and teachers at the IEP table. Catherine’s an expert on the subject and is ready to share her advice and tips with us today.
In today’s episode, Catherine is sharing some IEP and 504 meeting strategies and the role of a high school counselor during these meetings. With her experience, she provides helpful advice on how to be an advocate for the child, ways to build relationships with the students and their families, and how to be a “solution finder” instead of adding to the problem. Throughout our conversation, you will hear Catherine’s energy and passion come to light and take away productive and effective ways to be part of an IEP or 504 meeting in the future.
Resources Mentioned:
Free Podcast Playlist: New Counselor PlaylistLeave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.comJoin the Clique Collaborative
Full show notes on website: https://counselorclique.com/episode122

I’ve said it before, but this time of year is one of the most stressful with graduation, wrapping up the school year, and so many other things that consume your school day. That’s why I wanted to take a moment and reflect on your year and, more importantly, the success you’ve had throughout the school year. To help celebrate, seven other high school counselors are sharing their counselor wins with our community.
As each high school counselor shared their counselor wins, I was amazed by the number of wonderful things happening in counseling programs. After listening to each counselor, they all hit on the different aspects of high school counseling, such as data, interns, students, advocating for your role, and new programs or groups.
We do so much as high school counselors that we often don’t realize or take the time to reflect on the positive and successful things happening in our program or with our students. By having other high school counselors share their counselor wins, I hope you, too, will hear something that sparks an idea that would be celebratory in your program.
Resources Mentioned:
Resource: High School Counseling Data Collection Ideas GuideResource: Leadership High School Counseling Small GroupPodcast: Episode 101, Navigating Adult Friendships in The Workplace with Blake BlankenbeclerLeave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.comJoin The Clique Collaborative
Full show notes on website: https://counselorclique.com/episode121

As graduation approaches, you’re probably doing all the last-minute details of finalizing the details of the event, ordering cap and gowns, designing the program, and about a million other tasks. And while you’ve thought of every detail, you probably didn’t consider or want to think about the seniors not graduating. While it’s an unfortunate and depressing thought, it’s the reality that a lot of counselors have to face during this time of year.
So, if you’re in this situation right now, what do you do? Even though you might have some seniors not graduating, that doesn’t mean your job is done and there’s nothing left for them to do. Instead, I’m sharing some steps you can start taking now with these seniors to ensure that they still have a future and next steps to look forward to. Along with these steps, I provide you with a few logistics you need to work through and what conversations should have already happened and then need to happen moving forward.
If you ask me, this time of year is the most stressful part of the job! You feel like the graduation rate and seniors not graduating all depend on you. But I’m also here to tell you to remove that thought from your mind. You can only help and support a student so much before you rely on them to do the work. So, if it looks like you’re going to have a senior not graduate, I am going to help you accept that and show you how to keep taking steps forward despite them not getting their diploma with the rest of their class.
Resources Mentioned:
Resource: Senior School Counseling BundleResource: Job Interview 3 Day Video Challenge Leave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.comJoin the Clique Collaborative
Full show notes on website: https://counselorclique.com/episode120

We’ve officially entered the last quarter of the school year, which means graduation for seniors is just around the corner. However, we all know some students who are at risk and in jeopardy of not getting their diplomas. As high school counselors, it’s part of our job to help those at-risk students graduate. So, I’m sharing ways you can specifically support them during this time.
Being a high school counselor, you probably already have a relationship with these at-risk students and have supported them throughout their high school years. However, with graduation approaching, that relationship becomes even more important. Knowing the student, the ones close to them, what motivates them, and their current scenario and situation, along with a few other things, is necessary to help them achieve this goal.
We tend to put a weight on ourselves to make these at-risk students successful and graduate, but we can’t do everything for them. Instead, we provide them with the tools, resources, and support to walk across the stage and have a sense of direction once they graduate. So, if you have a few students in mind who are at risk of not graduating, this episode is for you! 
Resources Mentioned:
Free Podcast Playlist: Classroom Lessons PlaylistResource: High School Counseling Graduation Credit Check SpreadsheetResource: Life After High School Classroom LessonResource: Goal Setting Classroom LessonBlog Post: Remember These 3 Fundamentals When Engaging Failing StudentsPodcast: Episode 47, 3 Ways to Help Your Failing Students Find SuccessPodcast: Episode 63, Strategies to Employ When You Have Frequent Flyer StudentsLeave your review for School Counseling Conversations on Apple Podcasts
Connect with Lauren:
Sign up for the free, 3-day prep for High School Counseling Job InterviewsVisit my TpT storeSend me a DM on Instagram: @counselorcliqueFollow me on FacebookSend me an email: lauren@counselorclique.coma href="http://www.cliquecollab.com/"