The Secret to Getting Good School Counseling Professional Development

You may be a new school counselor or a veteran counselor but one things for sure… we’re all looking for good school counseling professional development! If you’re anything like me, you despise going in for PD only to find out the topic is NOT AT ALL what you do… like ever. Sitting through one of these sessions is painful because your mind races through all the things you need to get done and you’re sitting there, mindlessly doodling.

It’s okay, my friend! Let’s talk about finding good school counseling professional development and advocating for what PD you attend and what you don’t.

Teacher PD vs. Counselor PD

Educators who have not been involved with school counseling may not understand the role PD plays for us. Especially administrators, sometimes they are looking at the big picture and not fine-tuning every school department for the best professional development. I get it… that would be hard! But, that’s where we need to separate ourselves from the main group. We do not teach reading, math, or conduct academic interventions. However, we do work on school-wide initiatives, adjusting student behaviors, and many more things. So, finding out what PD will be taught is an important piece to set yourself apart. Are you a school counselor, just beginning and want to see what’s relevant and how it applies to your program? Check out this blog article… Quick Guide: The School Counseling Program.

Weeding Out What You Need

If it’s something you don’t need, advocate for how your time could be used wisely somewhere else. There are times in my building that I don’t need to attend specific professional development. For example, my building just signed up for a new reading curriculum, and our teachers were given lots of professional development to learn the new system. After talking with my administrator, it’s obvious I didn’t need to be in those meetings. However, we had a speaker come in at the beginning of the year and talk about Trauma-Informed Classrooms and Managing Student Behaviors… you better believe I was front and center on that one!

Don’t Sign Up for Everything

Once you get in the groove of finding relevant school counseling professional development, you will start to notice it everywhere! Emails will start coming in and FB will start stalking you. Even if it sounds good… decide on what’s best for your current situation. There were years when I tried to fit everything in because I was so excited about it! I quickly realized I was taking too much time away from my building and I definitely did not have enough time to implement anything I was learning. Moderation is key… go to some, implement what you learn, and go back for more!

Having trouble finding relevant school counseling professional development?

Start with your regional school counseling association. This is usually a small, local group of school counselors who get together a few times a year. It is a GREAT way to network and advocate for your program on a very local level. Then, travel up the line by searching your state’s school counseling association. It’s usually really easy to find these… in fact it was probably ingrained in your brain from grad school. So, join and get some PD through them! They usually have some in-person conferences, as well as, webinars throughout the year.

Last but not least, make sure you are a member of ASCA (American School Counselor Association) this is where you’re going to get some great PD as well. There’s the ASCA National Conference you can attend plus other opportunities throughout the year. One of the things I like the most about ASCA is their ASCA U Courses for professional development! You can work at your own pace and learn so much! They give you a detailed syllabus with all the required readings or videos. They even give you a certificate when you complete the course!

Be Present During Professional Development

No matter what professional development you attend, be present! Soak it all in, take notes, think about how you can immediately apply it in your own building. This will help you get the most out of it. Even if you have to sit through something that kinda pertains to you… but not really. Try to switch it in your brain and add your concepts, then see if it’s still irrelevant. Sometimes, I am able to take a teacher’s PD opportunity and turn it into a counseling opportunity, just because I allow myself to be open to it. There are several teacher objectives that fit very well into classroom counseling lessons. Also, incorporating other subjects into counseling is a WOW factor for administrators… just sayin!

 

So… we’ve talked a lot about how to find school counseling professional development, how to set yourself and your program apart from others, and how to advocate for your time. Remember, no matter what professional development you attend… log the hours and collect the completion certificate. You can use that at the end of the year when you need to document your professional development hours.