Counseling Skills For Practice

Core Counseling Skills Detailed strategies and training resources:

• Active Listening: Practice with paraphrasing and summarizing; downloadable listening ladder handout.

• Empathy: Reflective listening exercises and role-play videos.

• Reflective Questioning: Prompts to encourage student insight.

• Confidentiality: FERPA/IDEA guidelines and ethical decision-making models.

Techniques by Theory

• CBT: Thought log worksheet, ABC model, restructuring script.

  1. Free Thought Challenge Tool

  2. 7 CBT Activities

• SFBT: Using Solution Focused Counseling in Schools with Kids & Teens

• Person-Centered: Relationship building, use of unconditional positive regard.

Emerging Practices

• Motivational Interviewing: Stages of change model, video modeling.

• Trauma-Informed Approaches: Trauma informed schools.

Embedded Resources:

• ASCA Ethical Standards

• Solution-Focused Brief Counseling in Schools 

• Motivational Interviewing In Schools – YouTube