School Counseling Simplified Podcast cover art

School Counseling Simplified Podcast

School Counseling Simplified Podcast

Written by: Rachel Davis
Listen for free

About this listen

 School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.COPYRIGHT © 2020 · Bright Futures Counseling - www.brightfutures-counseling.com/disclosure-and-tou
Episodes
  • 288. How to Build Relationships and Rapport with Hadley Rapp

    288. How to Build Relationships and Rapport with Hadley Rapp
    Feb 17 2026
    Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Hadley, a school counselor and IMPACT member, for a special guest episode. Hadley is passionate about building rapport and meaningful relationships with students. In this conversation, she shares practical advice for new counselors and simple, effective ways to build strong connections with students. Hadley lives in a small rural town in mid Missouri. She has been married for 10 years and has two daughters who are 8 and 4 years old. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's of Education in Counseling with a license in School Counseling. Hadley has been a school counselor for 11 years and has worked exclusively at the elementary level, serving grades PK through 5. She is currently the 3 to 5 school counselor at her school and is in her third year in this role. Prior to becoming a school counselor, she worked with children in a behavioral health setting, which helped shape her approach to supporting students with diverse needs. What does Hadley love about school counseling? Hadley shares that school counseling gives her the unique opportunity to be a safe and steady presence for her students. Her goal is for every student to leave her office knowing that she is in their corner, cheering them on, and that they always have a safe place to return to when they need support. In her role, she teaches classroom lessons and facilitates both small groups and individual sessions. As she shares in the episode, she values being a consistent and supportive adult in her students' lives. What does she love about individual sessions? Hadley explains that individual sessions allow for deeper relationships. These one on one moments create space to truly understand what a student is walking through and to support them during difficult seasons in a more personalized way. How does she manage the logistics of individual sessions? When a student stops by for a quick visit, Hadley takes time to talk and assess the situation. If she recognizes that the conversation may require more time than the student can reasonably be out of class, she looks for a natural pause in the discussion and lets the student know she will follow up the next day at a specific time. For students who require more intensive support, she schedules consistent weekly sessions. She also uses games as a tool to encourage conversation and help students feel more comfortable opening up. What does a typical day look like? Hadley splits her day into two parts. During the first half of the day, she focuses on individual sessions and small groups. In the afternoon, she teaches classroom lessons that are built into the school's specials rotation. She teaches three 50 minute classroom sessions each day, allowing her to see every class in the building each week. What advice does she have for new school counselors? Hadley emphasizes the importance of building relationships before building a program. She encourages new counselors to focus first on relationships with students, staff, and families. When strong relationships are in place, the program will naturally begin to take shape. She also highlights the importance of setting boundaries. Leave work at work when possible and remember that it is okay to say no to additional responsibilities if you do not have the capacity to take them on. If you enjoyed this conversation, do not forget that next week I am hosting a free live training on how to enhance your individual counseling sessions and begin collecting meaningful data. You will walk away with easy to implement engagement strategies and practical data tracking tools to help you feel confident and valued in your role. Resources Mentioned: Individual Counseling LIVE Training Connect with Rachel: TpT Store Blog Instagram Facebook Page Facebook Group Pinterest Youtube More About School Counseling Simplified: School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica. You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • 287. How to Write a School Counseling Parent Newsletter

    287. How to Write a School Counseling Parent Newsletter
    Feb 10 2026

    Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today we are talking about how to create a parent newsletter, something I personally send out every month to my IMPACT members and one of the resources they love the most.

    I want to pull back the curtain and share exactly how I structure my parent newsletters so you can try this in your own counseling program. For the next few months, I am running a themed series, and right now the focus is on screen time, a topic I am incredibly passionate about.

    Parent newsletters are a powerful way to advocate for your role, communicate proactively with families, and support students beyond the school day. Here is how I structure mine.

    School Counselor Services
    This section highlights the services the school counselor provides and helps families understand how and when students can receive support. For February, I am breaking down the three tiers of support and explaining what each tier looks like in a school counseling program.

    Monthly Topic Focus
    Each newsletter includes a specific social emotional learning topic. This month, the focus is screen time and smartphone use. I share research based information related to screen time and brain development so parents understand why this topic matters.

    Activities to Try at Home
    I always include a simple, accessible activity families can do together. For example, tossing a ball back and forth while answering guided questions as the child catches the ball. These activities are designed to be low pressure and easy to implement.

    Parenting Resources
    The final section includes an additional resource such as a video, podcast episode, or printable guide. This month, I am sharing a technology agreement PDF that families can use at home to set clear expectations around screen use.

    If you would like this month's parent newsletter for free, you can grab it directly in the show notes.



    Resources Mentioned:

    • Join IMPACT

    • stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/individual

    • freebie ---> https://brightfutures-counseling.com/pages/free-school-counseling-parent-newsletter

    • https://www.waituntil8th.org/

    Connect with Rachel:

    • TpT Store

    • Blog

    • Instagram

    • Facebook Page

    • Facebook Group

    • Pinterest

    • Youtube

    More About School Counseling Simplified:

    School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

    You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • 286. Hit All 3 Tiers with Ease

    286. Hit All 3 Tiers with Ease
    Feb 3 2026
    Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I want to talk about a question that shows up in my inbox all the time. How do you stop constantly putting out fires and actually manage your limited time as a school counselor? So many counselors find themselves stuck in a reactive state. When you are constantly responding to drop ins, crises, and last minute needs, it can feel overwhelming and exhausting. My goal is to help counselors shift into a more proactive state where they can intentionally manage tier one interventions, small groups, individual counseling, and still handle the unexpected things that pop up. Today I am sharing a simple strategy to help you plan your time so you can get it all done. Start by identifying your big items. These are your classroom counseling lessons, your tier two small groups, and your individual counseling sessions. These big items should form the foundation of your schedule. When these are clearly planned and protected on your calendar, everything else becomes easier to manage. Next, think about the little items. These are random drop ins, quick check ins, and small fires that come up throughout the day or week. These will always exist, but they should not be running your schedule. Putting consistent effort into classroom lessons is one of the most effective preventative strategies you can use. When you are proactive at the tier one level, you will often see fewer referrals and fewer random drop ins over time. One practical strategy is to create a Google Sheet with your class lesson availability and have teachers sign up at the beginning of each month. You can use this same intentional scheduling process for your tier two small groups and individual counseling sessions. When these interventions are scheduled in advance, you have designated times to focus on them without feeling pulled in every direction. By using a referral based system and intentionally scheduling your tiered interventions, you may find that many of the random drop ins decrease because students are already receiving the support they need. To make this system work, there are three essential components. First, use a referral based system so you are not responding to every request in the moment. Second, use a sign on your door that clearly shows what you are doing and whether you are available. This helps students understand where you are and why you may not be able to meet immediately. Third, keep a notepad or memo sheet where students can write down that they stopped by and note the urgency of their concern. This allows you to follow up without disrupting your schedule. With a strong foundation and clear systems in place, you can move out of constant reaction mode and into a more intentional, sustainable way of running your counseling program. Resources Mentioned: Join IMPACT Referral Forms Connect with Rachel: TpT Store Blog Instagram Facebook Page Facebook Group Pinterest Youtube More About School Counseling Simplified: School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica. You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
No reviews yet