December 2025
Synchronized Chaos
This is a busy, sometimes heavy time of year for school counselors:
- holiday drives and events gearing up,
- end-of-quarter grades looming, and
- increased emotional needs (not to mention the behavior we’ve already seen!)
It seems we've dialed up the pace yet again- and we're moving faster than ever.
Are you feeling it, too?
So I decided that we needed to have a little fun on the podcast.
For the last couple of episodes, I’ve been looking into the psychology behind some of the strange things kids do.
Last week, it was all the weird catchphrases. (Anyone else being driven insane by “6-7”?)
And this week, it’s Tik Tok choreography.
I thought you could use some more lighthearted listening material as we head into Thanksgiving break, AND-
Both of these contain some very interesting "behind the scenes" looks into student brains.
If you want to better understand your students and the weird things they do, these are must-listens.
Hopefully you get a minute to listen on your way to campus, or during your workout or home responsibilities.
-Steph
11 Healing Books for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma
Trauma can leave kids feeling confused, frightened, or alone. Adults who want to help kids navigate this experience might feel at a loss about what to say or how to support the child in a way that is actually helpful.
These 11 picture books about trauma are perfect for parents, teachers, and counselors who want to help kids heal from scary or overwhelming experiences. The books will help kids understand their experiences, manage big emotions, and begin the path toward healing.
Play-Based Counseling Activities Using 4 Props You Probably Already Have
We have talked about the physical tools we might use in classroom lessons or individual counseling, we can also use basic props as counseling tools, too, to integrate more play! While “play therapy” typically refers to child-centered play therapy (which is a great, evidence-based approach you can read a little bit more about in this post), this post will focus on different play-based counseling activities you can use in all parts of your school counseling program. Even better? They’re ideas using items you probably already own!
Using Board Games
Chutes & Ladders is one of my favorite games to play.
I love that it provides LOTS of chances for kids to practice dealing with disappointment. Plus, there are lots of other ways that you can use it to teach about important SEL concepts.
For example, the ups and downs on the board are perfect for talking about growth mindset.
🔽 When players have to go down the slide, they can share about something they want to get better at.
🔼 When players get to go up a ladder, they can share about something that they have gotten better at.
This exercise is great for helping students reflect on their goals and think about all of the things that they've accomplished.
Friendship Book Recommendation
It’s a short, first person account of the ups and downs of a friendship told from one of their points of view.
💖It felt very realistic to what I see in 1st/2nd grade friendships!
💖Normalizes ups and downs, and bouncing back after a conflict.
💖Would be a really great book to use in a healthy friendships group.
😊They became friends with one telling the other she’ll be her bestie if she gives her a cookie (which she does and then they’re BFF). Noooot something we usually want modeled. That said, I think with good discussion after, we can still talk to kiddos about why that’s problematic. The same goes for a couple other little bits like one friend giving the other the silent treatment. It’s not bad (and it is realistic), it just falls on us as the readers and grownups to process those parts more.
😊The text is all uppercase except for the letter ‘i’ which distracting.
Texas School Safety Center Fall Trainings
Register Today for Fall Trainings
The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is pleased to announce our 2025-2026 trainings. This fall we are offering three new virtual trainings: Addressing Anxiety and Depressions in Students - Elementary, Addressing Anxiety and Depressions in Students - Secondary, and Effective Investigations and Report Writing. Returning trainings include the state-mandated School Behavioral Threat Assessment (SBTA) training for SBTA team members, the TCOLE #4064 training for school-based law enforcement officers and many more.
Register today and plan to join us for a training this fall!
New Trainings
📆Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Elementary Students is a virtual workshop for elementary (K-5) school administrators, instructional and support staff, and law enforcement officers. Attendees will learn how to identify the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical symptoms common in childhood anxiety and depression, strategies to address anxious and depressive behaviors, and tools that can be incorporated into classroom practice.
📆Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Secondary Students is a virtual workshop for secondary (6-12) school administrators, instructional and support staff, and law enforcement officers. Attendees will learn how to identify the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical symptoms common in childhood anxiety and depression, strategies to address anxious and depressive behaviors, and tools that can be incorporated into classroom practice.
Returning Trainings
📆Restorative Practices for Educators helps us build healthy relationships by identifying core values and establishing consensus around how we relate to one another. Restorative Practices provides a process for effective communication, establishing healthy boundaries, taking responsibility, solving conflict, healing when harm has occurred, and creating accountability for self and others.
📆Digital Threat Assessment was developed to address the need to keep pace with the ever-evolving technology challenges that face our students currently. Successful violence threat risk assessment requires a solid understanding of all data needed to appropriately assess an individual's potential for violence. An overall assessment of risk cannot be determined without looking at social media and online activity. It is imperative to understand the tools and methods available to identify online threat related behavior.
Real life case examples will be used from subject matter expert work across North America, and a significant portion of the day will be spent conducting hands-on search exercises through the most current social media sites and applications.
📆Preventing bullying and mitigating its impact begins with a strong understanding of the legal landscape of Texas bullying laws. This virtual Bullying and Cyberbullying Training, offered in collaboration with Safer Schools Together, will walk participants through all Texas bullying and cyberbullying laws, including behaviors that may apply to suspected bullying situations, such as assault, harassment, hazing, stalking, sextortion, dating violence, and related federal laws. Participants will explore Texas mandated expectations for campus staff, rights of victims and parents, related penal code, and determining when behaviors go beyond student discipline and into criminal behavior. Participants will also learn about how bullying manifests on and off campus and how to plan and respond with actionable strategies.
📆The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Elementary focuses on providing an overview of trauma and its impact on student behaviors in the elementary (K-5) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro diverse complexities play in student behavior. Throughout the workshop, participants will be provided with concrete strategies that can be implemented in a school and/or classroom setting to support all learners through a trauma informed lens.
📆The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Secondary focuses on providing an overview of trauma and its impact on student behaviors in the secondary (6-12) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro diverse complexities play in student behavior. Throughout the workshop, participants will be provided with concrete strategies that can be implemented in a school and/or classroom setting to support all learners through a trauma informed lens.
📆Start with Hello, one of Sandy Hook Promise's no-cost Know the Signs programs, teaches students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other. With activities and curricula available for all ages, students are empowered to end social isolation in three easy steps which include: see someone alone, reach out and help, and start with hello.
📆Say Something is a no-cost, easy-to-implement, and life-saving program that will help school personnel and/or school-based law enforcement to teach students how to recognize warning signs of potential violence or self-harm and act immediately to intervene.
Highly Mobile and At-Risk (HMAR) Student Programs
- Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY)
- Foster Care and At-Risk
- Pregnancy Related Services
- Military-Connected Students Program
- Dropout Prevention
Please visit the HMAR Webpage for more information, including 2025-26SY Training Opportunities!
