• SCHOLAR Resources

• TEA Guidance Lesson Examples 

• Overcoming Obstacles Life Skills Lessons and Activities

• Free Resource Library at Whole Hearted Counseling

• iSOSY Mental Health Lessons will help normalize conversations with migratory students about mental health. Available in English and Spanish.

• Erika's Lighthouse Classroom Education materials for grades 4-12, Empowerment Clubs, Family Engagement, and Policy and Staff Training resources at no cost – always.

• Counselor Chelsey's Lesson Organizer, Minute Meeting Forms, Topic of the Month Planning Sheets, and Visual Schedule

• The CDC Body and Mind (BAM) site has instructional materials for elementary guidance lessons, such as the Heads Up Injury Prevention handouts. Additional lessons and materials can be found by searching the CDC BAM site.  

Counselor Chelsey shares tips for getting small groups started:

Question #1: How Do I Know Which Topics To Cover?

Of course, we want our small groups to be meaningful and helpful, but it can be tricky to know exactly which topics will suit our students best. Here are a few ideas to try:

• Look at office referrals: Looking at discipline referrals can provide a lot of insight. Is there a specific skill that you think would be helpful to these students? Self-control, anger management, or following directions might be great topics to start with!

• Talk to teachers: Pop in to grade level or team meetings to check in with teachers about what they are noticing with their students.

Question #2: How Do I Choose Which Students To Include?

Once I have a topic, I take another peek at discipline referrals and/or counseling referrals to see if I can identify any students who would benefit from the group. Then, I'll chat with teachers to see what they think, and if they have any other students they think would benefit from the group. Occasionally, I also get small group referrals from 504 or IEP meetings, as well as parent-teacher conferences.

Question #3: How Do I Get Parent Permission?

I always do negative (or passive) permission slips, which ask parents to sign and return the permission slip if they DO NOT want their child to participate. On the slips I send home, I always put the instructions in bold, to clear up any confusion about what to do.

>> CLICK HERE to download some free, editable permission forms that you can use!

For more answers to frequently asked small group questions, check out this blog post.