Ever walked out of an “advocacy meeting” with your admin and thought, Is anything ever going to change?

You brought the data. You showed the charts. You quoted the position statements. And still, you walked away with the same ridiculous caseload, or worse- another responsibility placed on your shoulders.

All that effort doesn’t move the needle. It just keeps you running in circles.

In this episode of the School for School Counselors Podcast, I’m grading advocacy as it stands in our profession right now... and let’s just say the report card isn’t pretty.

I’ll unpack why the version of advocacy we’ve been handed sets us up to fail, the traps that keep us stuck shouting into the void, and four strategies that actually move the needle.

If you’ve ever wondered why “advocating harder” hasn’t worked for you (and what you can do differently), this episode is your permission slip to stop playing small and start leading with influence.

References (Annotated)

American School Counselor Association. (2017, December). Advocating for your school counseling program using visibility strategies [Online newsletter]. Advocacy Everyday. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/newsletters/december-2017/advocating-for-your-school-counseling-program-usin?st=nj
This piece includes ASCA’s suggestion to print business cards and introduce yourself with the correct title, examples of the “visibility” strategies counselors are told to use.

American School Counselor Association. (2019). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Author.
The central framework promoted by ASCA, often positioned as the path to respect and clarity for the profession.

American School Counselor Association. (2019). The school counselor and ratios [Position statement]. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements
States the well-known 250:1 ratio and is often used by counselors in advocacy conversations with administrators and policymakers.

American School Counselor Association. (2019). The school counselor and the role of the professional school counselor [Position statement]. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Position-Statements
Outlines the 80/20 direct vs. indirect services expectation, another widely circulated talking point in counselor advocacy.

American School Counselor Association. (2023, July–August). Advocating for the ASCA National Model. ASCA School Counselor Magazine. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/July-August-2023/Advocating-for-the-ASCA-National-Model
Reinforces the idea that promoting the Model itself is advocacy, often suggesting visibility strategies like correcting titles or distributing materials.

Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in (3rd ed.). Penguin Books.
Classic text on principled negotiation. In this episode, it supports the idea of “interest-based framing”- aligning your advocacy with campus goals, not rigid positions.

Lewicki, R. J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D. M. (2020). Negotiation (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Contemporary negotiation and organizational change research. Cited here for the evidence that small, repeated asks layered over time create lasting change.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mas

What if the tools you’ve been told to use as a school counselor are actually working against you?

In this highlights reel, I’m recapping eight of the field’s most popular practices and giving you the real verdict on each.

You’ll hear the truths nobody disputes, the traps that keep counselors spinning their wheels, and the takeaways you can actually use on a real campus.

I’ll even hand you the one-liners and micro-actions you can take straight into your next meeting.

But this isn’t just a recap. It’s a truth bomb episode.

By the end, you’ll know what to keep, what to ditch, and how to defend those choices when the pressure to “do more” shows up.

Hit play and let’s level up.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.

"What you say in here, stays in here…”

We’ve all said it, but it’s a promise that never came from schools, and it’s costing us trust with students, parents, and administrators.

In this Graded episode, I examine how near-absolute confidentiality has been implemented in school counseling, the fallout it’s created, and why the grade I’m giving it might surprise you.

We’ll trace how confidentiality migrated from clinical counseling into schools without informed consent, why the line we were trained to use is misleading at best, and how it has fueled parental distrust, administrative micromanagement, and even new state legislation.

If you’ve ever felt caught between protecting student privacy and keeping parents informed, this episode will give you the clarity- and the courage- you need to move forward differently.

References (Annotated)

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
The foundational ethical guide for all counselors. Section B.1.b. and A.2.d. directly address confidentiality with minors and the need to explain limits clearly.

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author. https://schoolcounselor.org/ethics
School-specific ethical standards. Section A.2.a. emphasizes protecting confidentiality “to the extent possible,” while A.2.d. requires informing students upfront about its limits.

Harrichand, J. J. S., Knight, A. M., & Captari, L. E. (2021). Moral injury among mental health professionals: Risk, impact, and recovery. Counseling and Values, 66(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/cvj.12155
Explains how moral injury—acting against one’s ethical compass—contributes to counselor stress and burnout. Directly ties to the personal cost of impossible confidentiality decisions.

Isaacs, M. L., & Stone, C. B. (2001). Confidentiality with minors: Current views and practices of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 4(4), 258–265. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0100400405
A classic study showing how school counselors navigate confidentiality with students. One of the earliest peer-reviewed examinations of the real-world gap between ethics and practice.

Remley, T. P., & Huey, W. C. (2002). An analysis of legal and ethical issues in school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 6(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X0200600107
An overview of common legal/ethical dilemmas in school counseling, including confidentiality, and strategies for reducing liability while maintaining professional integrity.

Stone, C. (2017). School counseling principles: Ethics and law (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.
Widely used textbook by Carolyn Stone, the leading voice on legal and ethical issues in school counseling. Offers detailed guidance on confidentiality and parent rights.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.

Minute meetings look great on a spreadsheet. But do they actually help kids? In this episode of Graded, I dig into where this practice really came from, the myths we’ve built around it, and the risks nobody’s talking about, and I’ll share what to do instead.

Minute meetings have taken on near-folklore status in school counseling. They’re all over Pinterest, pushed in Facebook groups, and praised as the “must-do” way to reach every student. But here’s the problem: they didn’t come from research. They came from a 2011 blog post that went viral because it looked proactive and admin-friendly.

I’ll unpack why so many counselors have latched onto them, and the real costs hiding under the surface: wasted time, shaky privacy practices, legal risks, and the illusion of equity.

Most importantly, you’ll leave with stronger, evidence-backed alternatives- systematic data analysis, teacher consultation, and SEL strategies- that replace documentation theater with practices that actually change outcomes.

If you’ve ever wondered whether minute meetings are helping or quietly hurting your program, this episode is for you.

References (Annotated)

American School Counselor Association. (2005). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
This framework formalized the profession’s shift toward “comprehensive, data-driven” programs. Its expectations created pressure on counselors to prove contact and impact—conditions that made quick-fix strategies like minute meetings appealing.

Dahir, C. A., & Stone, C. B. (2006). The transformed school counselor. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Captures the post-ASCA Model climate of accountability and data demands. This context helps explain why counselors gravitated toward visible, trackable practices like minute meetings, even without research support.

Kathuria, T., & Pandya, A. (2023). Can a five-minute meeting improve the wellbeing of students? The Indian school experience. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 33(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2023.12
The only peer-reviewed study even remotely related to “minute meetings.” Though conducted in India and using a different model (five minutes, not one), it highlights how little empirical research exists to validate this practice in U.S. schools.

Schultz, D. (2011, December 28). Got a minute? School Counselor Blog. https://www.schcounselor.com/2011/12/got-minute.html
Earliest known mention of “minute meetings” in the school counseling world.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

All names, stories, and case studies in this episode are fictionalized composites drawn from real-world circumstances. Any resemblance to actual students, families, or school personnel is coincidental. Details have been altered to protect privacy.

What if the behavior approach everyone swears by is actually making some kids worse?

Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) is one of the most common Tier 2 interventions in school counseling, but most trainings leave out the detail that decides whether it works or fails.

In this episode, I share the research, the hidden limitation no one’s talking about, and the story of a student who proved that “research-based” doesn’t always mean “right for every kid.”

This episode is highly researched:

Fairbanks, S., Sugai, G., Guardino, D., & Lathrop, M. (2007). Response to intervention: Examining classroom behavior support in second grade. Exceptional Children, 73(3), 288–310.

Filter, K. J., McKenna, M. K., Benedict, E. A., Horner, R. H., Todd, A. W., & Watson, J. (2007). Check in/check out: A post-hoc evaluation of an efficient, secondary-level targeted intervention for reducing problem behaviors in schools. Education and Treatment of Children, 30(1), 69–84.

Hawken, L. S., Bundock, K., Barrett, C. A., Eber, L., Breen, K., & Phillips, D. (2015). Large-scale implementation of check-in check-out: A descriptive study. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 30(4), 304–319.

Hawken, L. S., MacLeod, K. S., & Rawlings, L. (2007). Effects of the Behavior Education Program (BEP) on office discipline referrals of elementary school students. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 9(2), 94–101.

Klingbeil, D. A., Dart, E. H., & Schramm, S. A. (2019). A systematic review of function‐based modifications to check‐in/check‐out. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 21(1), 3–18.

Maggin, D. M., Zurheide, J., Pickett, K. C., & Baillie, S. (2015). A systematic evidence review of the check‐in/check‐out program for reducing student challenging behaviors. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 17(4), 197–208.

Sottilare, A. L., & Blair, K.-S. C. (2023). Implementation of check-in/check-out to improve classroom behavior of at-risk elementary school students. Behavioral Sciences, 13(3), 257.

Note: "Jake" and "Carrie" are fictional versions of students based on compilations of real stories.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

Tired of feeling overworked, underestimated, and buried under responsibilities no one trained you for?

The School for School Counselors Podcast is for real-world counselors who want clarity, confidence, and tools that actually work in real schools... not packaged curriculums or toxic positivity.

You’ll get honest conversations, practical strategies, and a real-world alternative to the one-size-fits-all approach you’ve probably been told to follow.

If the ASCA-aligned model doesn’t fit your campus, it's not your fault.
This podcast is where you’ll finally hear why, and what to do instead.

You don’t need more PD. You need someone who actually gets it.

Small group counseling gets pushed as the fix for everything. But what if we’re getting it wrong?

In this episode:

• Why “ASCA-aligned” doesn’t mean effective
• The real reason group work is overused
• How to spot a pretty curriculum with zero impact

Plus, a student story that stopped me in my tracks.

If you’ve ever run a group just to prove you’re doing Tier 2… this one’s for you.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.

You know that feeling when it’s Friday, and you can’t even explain what you did all week?

Use-of-time tracking is supposed to help- but too often, it feels like just another way to keep school counselors in check.

This week on Graded, we’re pulling apart one of the most pushed- but least supported- tools in school counseling.

We’ll talk about:

• Why it’s recommended in the ASCA model—and required in some states
  
  
• Why real-world counselors struggle to make it stick
  
  
• What happens when it’s used for control instead of clarity
  
  
• And how it can be helpful—if you’re the one holding the reins
  
  

If you’ve ever felt like you’re working nonstop but still have no proof of it…
this episode might feel like a breath of fresh air.

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.

Needs assessments are everywhere in school counseling, and they're especially enticing when you’re just starting out. They feel like the smart, strategic thing to do. But what if they’re just giving you more to carry?

In this episode, we’re taking a hard look at needs assessments: who’s pushing them, why they’ve become the go-to starting point, and what they can cost you.

We’ll cover the real benefits and the overlooked drawbacks- like ethical risks, political landmines, and the guilt spiral that comes from trying to meet every demand.

You’ll hear how one research-backed insight helped shift the way I think about stakeholder feedback and why your professional judgment might matter more than you’ve been taught.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “What am I supposed to do next?”, this episode has answers (and a grade you probably won’t expect!).

*********************************

Reference:

Zabek, F., Lyons, M.D., Alwani, N. et al. (2023). Roles and functions of school mental health professionals within comprehensive school mental health systems. School Mental Health 15, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09535-0

*********************************

⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️

**********************************

Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.