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Introduction to School Counseling
Classroom Guidance Lesson Plan

Title: Managing Strong Emotions
ASCA Domain Addressed: Social Emotional Development

Grade Level:  9th through 12th
Goals/Objectives: The goal is to teach students how to self soothe when strong emotions occur.
Students will be able to identify when strong emotions start to happen and explore how it feels in their bodies.
Understanding what actions to take when strong emotions occur.

45 minutes. If your lesson is more than 45 minutes you will need to divide it up into two
lessons as guidance lessons are typically a maximum of 45 minutes).
Materials: Snacks,water, Yoga Mats, Small blanket (Optional) check in hand out and YouTube video

Box Breathing Practice - YouTube

Color Breathing - YouTube

Soothing Standing Stretch - YouTube

Good afternoon guys and girls!

This week we will talk about our emotions.

Let’s start off by greeting each other in a non verbal, welcoming way.

This can be a handshake, smile, wink, or even a wave. Be creative, but whatever you choose, remember non verbal and warm and welcoming.

Ok, now let's check in with each other. Take a look up at the handouts and look at the check-in chart. Who would like to share? Everyone willing to share hold their finger up to see how you're feeling.

Ok, thank you for sharing! Now I did notice a couple of 3,4,5’s, I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to some breathing methods to help cope with strong emotions. Breathing is a way to help manage stress and anxiety. It also helps to reduce the heavy feeling that comes with deep emotions like fear, anger and frustration. Today we will learn three different breathing techniques. Let’s begin with box breathing. But first, let's get comfortable! Roll out your yoga mats and lay them on the floor.  We also have small blankets, if you're anything like me, I like to be warm when doing my breathing exercises and I like to lay it across my lap.  Repeat this process with color breathing and soothing standing stretch.
Closure: Ok, lets check in again.

Do you feel more relaxed or calmer?

Are you more focused, in a better mood?

The takeaway for today is notice when you feel strong emotions coming on.  When you do, try stopping, naming your emotions and practice the box breathing method we did earlier.

Now that we feel a little better, this calls for a celebration. Let's dance it out!

Dancing is also a way to cope with strong emotions. So, Let's move! Snacks are available at the back of the room.

Freeze Dance 5.0 | Don't Move Remix | Hip Hop Virtual Recess | PhonicsMan Freeze Song - YouTube

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Peer Article Review: Guidance and counseling relations to high school students’ positive development and Psychopathology: A Non-recursive Modeling Study. 

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Peer Article Review: Guidance and counseling relations to high school students’ positive development and Psychopathology: A Non-recursive Modeling Study. 

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Why did you select the article?

The article I chose to review is Guidance and counseling relations to high school students’ positive development and Psychopathology: A Non-recursive Modeling Study. I decided to check this article because this topic is one of the reasons why I chose to be a school counselor. It is to help students grow academically and mentally.

Summarize the important concepts.

This article explains the findings of a group of students in China that experienced a positive benefit from receiving guidance and counseling. The results show how vital school guidance and counseling services are for adolescent development. The study was primarily focused on group counseling, personal-social, anxiety, depression, and a few others. The study consisted of 59 high schools and 8556 students based in China. The findings from the study showed that the relationships between students receiving guidance and counseling services experienced were significantly higher than those receiving services with psychopathology.

Compare the information in the article with your experience with school counselors.

My personal experience with school counselors in high school was only to select classes for the next school year. I didn't have much support and guidance at home; perhaps a school counselor would have benefited me. I felt isolated and didn't attend school events or any sports. Looking back now, that was not normal. I need an outlet and someone to trust and be confined to when making decisions. A relationship with a counselor could have supported me throughout my difficult high school years.

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Self-Assessment Bias

I choose to complete an assessment on age and one on race. My results on race did not surprise me at all. If you know me personally, I am a proud African American woman, and I love my people. I love our culture, from our food to the uniqueness of our hair and skin tones.   So, the results from the assessment I took on race were on target.

The summary of my results states I have a moderate preference for African American compared to European Americans. I agree with the results, which should not be misinterpreted as racist. I love who I am. In the second assessment I took, the results were very shocking. My responses suggested a moderate automatic reaction to young people over older adults. With the one on age, I disagree with the findings.

It's the other way around for me. Depending on the situation, I could lean towards young or old.

Although I agree with one result and disagree with another, there is still a learning lesson to take away from this. I may have some biases from my life and cultural influences. I will now work on being more open-minded to different situations and not just base my opinions on what's familiar. I will challenge myself to think outside my comfort zone and look at things differently. My way of thinking and what I'm used to is not the only way of doing things, but simply different. I have to be open to putting myself in my client's world.  As a future counselor, it is crucial to be aware and knowledgeable about clients who have diverse backgrounds concerning race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and spiritual beliefs (Erford, 2017). Counselors need to be sensitive to different beliefs to connect with their clients.

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School Counselor Competency Assessment Results 

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School Counselor Competency Assessment Results 

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Overall Results

Taking the School Counselor Competency Assessment was informative and overwhelming as well. I could have scored better on most of the assessments; some legal topics were hard to understand and foreign. As a new School Counselor, I know I will only be fluent in some of them, but taking the assessment made me aware of what's to come.

Areas for Improvement

B-PF 2. Demonstrate understanding of educational systems, legal issues, policies, research and trends in education. i. Use current trends in technology to promote student success (ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors - American School Counselor Association (ASCA), n.d.). Keeping current on trends in technology will be a challenge for me. Currently, I don’t utilize a lot of technology high school-age kids are using. I have a Facebook and Instagram account, but I’m inactive. I know I will soon start using more teen-driven technology. In developing a rapport with my students, I must meet them at their level and be able to relate to things that matter to them.

B-PA 6. Use time appropriately according to national recommendations and student/school data d. Organize and manage time to effectively implement a school counseling program using skills including scheduling, publicizing and prioritizing time (ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors - American School Counselor Association (ASCA), n.d.). It will be an area for improvement for me as well. Sometimes when I start something new, I need help prioritizing my time. Completing my degree will prepare me to manage my time and task more efficiently.

Areas I Did Well On & How You Might Improve in Specific Areas

B-PF 7. Demonstrate leadership through the development and implementation of a school counseling program h. Serve as a leader in the school and community to promote and support student success. I will successfully bring the community and school resources together for the best student outcomes. I’m social and enjoy talking, educating, and meeting new people, so this will be an area where I will flourish. I think ways for me to improve would be learning how to research for funding to give my students access to more funding to do things they enjoy and open them up to new opportunities.

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As a future School Counselor, I believe all children can learn. I know we all don’t learn in the same way, but I am confident all students can succeed with the right tools and support system. As a School Counselor, I plan to support teenagers and families in underserved communities with limited resources. I plan to raise awareness of how mental health in these communities is overlooked. I will raise awareness of the importance of mental health. I aim to build a safe place to process feelings and emotions, create healthy ways to deal with conflict, and break the stigma of seeking therapy.