Office of School Counseling
Friday Sendoff - November 22, 2019
**NEW** Check out these self-care tips from PsychBytes!
10 Self-Care Tips for Counselors
1. Remember Your WHY
Why did you originally want to become a school counselor? Did you have an impactful school counselor as a child? Think back to why you choose this profession.
2. Write a Gratitude Letter
Send a letter to someone who you are grateful for and tell them why. This can be a close friend, mentor, a parent, anyone who comes to mind!
3. Take a Break
Take your lunch break, that bathroom break, and any well-deserved break. To put it simply, you deserve a break. Allow yourself to rest.
4. Walk Away From the Teacher’s Lounge
I’m going to guess if you are feeling stressed, the teachers might be feeling similar. Allow yourself to have some physical distance from any complaining or gossiping.
5. Listen to Music
Find a good playlist on Pandora or Spotify and jam out. Maybe dance along, too.
6. Go on a Walk
Sneak out a side door and take a quick walk in the sunshine. Consider having a group session outside if it’s a nice day. A little vitamin D can go a long way for you and your students.
7. Read Old Thank You Letters
Over the years, save thank you letters you receive from your students, their parents, and teachers. Create a “warm and fuzzy drawer” and read them to remember how important your work is for the community.
8. Allow Yourself to Feel Upset
As you know, when we bottle up our emotions they tend to magnify and grow over time. If you can find a minute or two, close your door and cry or scream into a pillow, the release will help diminish the magnitude of the emotion.
9. Talk with a Supportive Co-Worker
While the work you do is different from teachers and administrative employees, having someone listen to you for a few minutes can help you feel more connected and appreciated.
10. Consider Seeing a Counselor
If this rough day is part of a rough week or a rough month, consider seeing a counselor. As you know, counselors need counselors just like doctors need doctors!
Asking for help is the bravest thing anyone can do and having a nonbiased and supportive person on your team can help diminish overwhelming anxiety and sadness.
MUST DO ITEMS - Please read this section carefully
Mandatory Meetings and Professional Developments - The PD calendar for the 2019-2020 school year was sent to you in August. Please be sure to add the dates/times to your own calendars and share them with your administration. This will prevent any confusion and requests for you to stay at your school during those meeting times.
Use of Time - Please be sure that you are not only tracking your use of time and daily contacts every day but that you are also totaling up your numbers on a weekly or monthly basis. We will be collecting the first semester of Use of Time data on January 31st. You don't want to find yourself spending hours and hours totaling everything up on that day.
Upcoming Meetings
Middle School Counselors Meeting (morning option)
This session will provide a basic understanding of multiple gender identifies, a history of gender, basic terminology regarding identities and sexual orientation, techniques to create environments for non-conforming students and staff, and to learn strategies to support students dealing with harassment or micro-aggressions. 3 CEU's will be available.
Register here: https://registration.bcps.org/Event.aspx?Event_DetailID=29319
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019, 08:00 AM
Baltimore County Agricultural Center, Shawan Road, Cockeysville, MD, USA
Middle School Counselors Meeting (afternoon option)
Register here: https://registration.bcps.org/Event.aspx?Event_DetailID=29319
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019, 12:00 PM
Baltimore County Agricultural Center, Shawan Road, Cockeysville, MD, USA
High School Counselors Meeting (option 1)
Register here: https://registration.bcps.org/Event.aspx?Event_DetailID=29318
Thursday, Dec 5, 2019, 07:30 AM
Loyola University Maryland - Timonium Graduate Center, Greenspring Drive, Lutherville-Timonium, MD, USA
High School Counselors Meeting (option 2)
Register here: https://registration.bcps.org/Event.aspx?Event_DetailID=29318
Thursday, Dec 5, 2019, 11:30 AM
Loyola University Maryland - Timonium Graduate Center, Greenspring Drive, Lutherville-Timonium, MD, USA
Announcements
**New** From SAMHSA: FindTreatment.gov
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the launch of FindTreatment.gov, a new and improved website for helping to connect Americans throughout the United States who are looking for substance abuse treatment. More than 19.3 million American adults had substance use disorders in 2018, and connecting them with appropriate treatment is a critical step to combating the opioid crisis in America. FindTreatment.gov is designed to provide the most relevant information for each individual’s recovery needs by creating a modern, user-friendly experience that is visually clear, simple, and welcoming to those in crisis. Visitors can access information on treatment providers’ locations, treatment options, payment and insurance information, and on more than 13,000 state-licensed facilities, based on data compiled by SAMHSA. Visit FindTreatment.gov
Alateen Groups for Children of Addicts - Did you know that Alateen is now an approved School Based Mental Health partnership? By allowing Alateen to run groups in your school, we can remove the barrier of transportation to their center in Towson. If you are interested in partnering with Alateen, contact alateenarea24ac@gmail.com to get more information.
Elementary Counselors
**NEW** Conscious Discipline
Secondary Department Chairs
We are in the process of ordering paper copies of the course registration guide.
Department Chairs, please complete the survey below so we know how many to order for your office.
**NEW** Upcoming MS & HS meetings - If you have a department member who can't make the designated December 4th or 5th dates, they're welcome to register for the other date (for instance...if you cant make the MS meeting, you can attend the HS meeting).
High School Counslers
Military Recruiters
Counselors should not share personally identifiable information (PII) with a recruiter without parental consent. Additionally, if your school offers the ASVAB, we cannot share score reports with recruiters. Our state supervisor shared that recruiters have been aware of this. Please be sure you’re using the updated form sent out for ASVAB testing with option 8 as the only choice that can be made.
Per COMAR, the military can meet with students just like any other college visit. There should be no students meeting with recruiters individually without parental consent. When possible, have a staff member present if the parent can't attend the meeting to review students scores.
High School Department Chairs
Diploma Process 2020
This message was sent to Diploma Specialists and Back-up Diploma Specialists:
My name is Linda Rehak (lrehak@bcps.org) and I will be coordinating the collection of diploma names for the Class of 2020!
This email marks the start of collecting names of potential gradates. The attachments provide:
· Directions for ‘Generating Potential Graduate List for Diploma Ordering’
· The blank excel document that needs to be completed and returned by Friday, November 22, 2019 to Linda Rehak (lrehak@bcps.org)
· Documentation for principal’s signature, only if your principal is new to your school for the 2019-2020 school year. Have the new principal use black ink to sign the left-hand side of the document, scan and return to lrehak@bcps.org
· Review the 2020 High School Graduation Schedule
In order to ensure that information is provided to Herff-Jones for printing and diplomas are printed in a timely manner. Please note, we have received a new format for the excel spreadsheet, please only use the attached spreadsheet to complete this task. The form needs to be completed and returned no later than Friday, November 22, 2019.
When completing the excel spreadsheet ensure:
- Please include ALL potential 2020 graduates, including those that may graduate in the Summer of 2020, as-well-as those that may be in alternative settings
- The first, middle and last name as well as any suffix, with appropriate punctuation is typed in column A
- Type the date of your graduation in column B, C, and D
- Type your school name in column E
- Type Diploma, MD Cert or Int’l Cert in column F – this should be specific to the individual student
NEW:
- Students should be listed in alphabetical order grouped by Diploma, then skip 3 lines and list alphabetically grouped by Certificate (see blank spreadsheet for example)
- When creating the list, please do not alter the spreadsheet (do not type in all capitals, do not bold, do not use highlighting, nor different colors, do not add title columns, do not add additional notes)
- Save this spreadsheet, naming the file your school name
When you send the email back, please include in the body of the email:
· Total number of diploma candidates
· Total number of MD certificate candidates
· Total number of International Certificates candidates
NEW: Starting this year, schools will be receiving their diplomas and covers directly from the company, Herff-Jones. These boxes are clearly marked on the outside indicating graduation materials. The diplomas will be sent separately from the covers. The address labels will state the school name and the name of the diploma specialist.
If there are any corrections or additions after the original form is submitted, please use the same excel template and complete the required information for only for the corrections and/or new students.Don't forget! Please submit your College Counselor Implementation Plan to your specialist by 11/22.
College Counselors
**NEW** College Application updates (PLEASE REVIEW)
Notre Dame University of Maryland - Please check with your students to make sure their applicaiton is complete. NDM doesn't accept eDocs submissions. They have notified their processing team that many applicants are in fact submitting documents through Naviance so that they can take the appropriate action. None of your students will be penalized for having to resend documents, so please don’t worry. They accept applications on a rolling admissions basis and every applicant is still equally considered for scholarships, regardless of when the student applies. There's no hard deadline in place of when we need all applications and documents in our system, and they are constantly reviewing applications. For future reference, please have any application documents sent to processing@ndm.edu. This is the direct email to the processing team who can pull the documents and upload them to the student’s profile.
Cornell College: Evaluating College Choices
What makes a student say yes to a college?
Inside Higher Ed writer Matt Reed examined this question and posed it to his readers.
Career coaches matter
Ultimately, your students' college journey should end with a terrific launch into graduate school or a career. Hear what students at Cornell have to say about the Berry Career Institute's career coaching.
A College Evaluation guide
We've put together a resource that explains how to evaluate colleges that you can use with your students and their parents when they struggle to make a decision.
Skills training, short-term certificates, or 4 years of college?
What should you keep in mind when students ask what the differences might be between a 4-year college degree and short-term skills or certificate training?
MHEC Financial Assistance Programs
State Financial Assistance Programs and Applications
Tuition Waiver for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients
NACAC Request for Admission Application Fee Waiver
Students who have limited financial resources may use the NACAC Request for Application Fee Waiver Form when applying for college. The form — aimed at students planning to enroll in post-secondary education immediately following high school graduation — helps ensure that access to college is possible for all.
College Fly-Ins
Landmark College Professional Visit Days
https://www.landmark.edu/admissions/professional-visit-days
University of Tampa - 2/16-17, 2020
https://apply-undg.ut.edu/portal/gcvisit?id=5a86e0f3-8a25-4ff2-b98f-e7ce59d5844b
Southern Illinois University - 3/19-20, 2020
https://www.siue.edu/counselors/events-feed/fly-in.shtml
Roanoke College - 3/22-23, 2020
https://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/counselor_fly_in
Saint Anselm College Counselor Fly-in Visit Program - 3/29-31, 2020
https://admission.anselm.edu/register/fly-in-interest
PCACAC College Tour - 4/1-4, 2020
https://www.pcacac.org/counselor-resources
MU/UD Counselor Visit Program - 4/26-28, 2020
https://udayton.edu/apply/undergraduate/guidance/visit-program.php
Relevant Bulletin Items
November 15, 2019 Bulletin
https://intranet.bcps.org/superintendent/bulletin/2019/1115/Bulletin111519.pdf
892. BUILD-A-BEAR DAY FOR KIDS HELPING HOPKINS
898. GOUCHER COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP FOR ONLINE GRADUATE COURSES
900. LEADERSHIP INFORMATION SESSION
Professional Development
**NEW** Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy 1/6/20 in Randallstown. 3 CEU's offered.
**NEW** Getting to the Point! Methods and Applications of Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy 1/6/20 in Randallstown. 3 CEU's offered.
**NEW** The Ethics of Self-Disclosure 1/6/20 in Randallstown. 3 CEU's offered.
**NEW** Your Own Worst Enemy: Helping Clients Address Anxiety Through the Lens of Emotional Intelligence (Live Webinar) on 1/7/20. 2 CEU's offered.
**NEW** The Change Ethic 1/12/20 in Pikesville. 3 CEU's offered.
**NEW** Life Reclaimed: Helping Substance-Using Clients Through Recovery and Beyond, (Live Webinar) on 1/13/20. 2 CEU's offered.
**NEW** Supervision and Leadership, Management Seminar 1/16 and 1/23 in Hereford (2 day training for those interested in being an LCPC Board-Approved Supervisor). 12 CEU's offered.
**NEW** How Trauma Transforms: Nurturing Resilience Through Play Therapy With Clients Impacted by ACEs (Live Webinar) on 1/15/20. 2 CEU's offered.
**NEW** Best Approaches in Trauma Treatment 1/30/20 in Dundalk. 3 CEU's offered.
Resource Roundup
Lending Library Items of the Week:
This is the workbook that all mental health professionals wish they had at the beginning of their careers. Containing over 100 approaches to effectively deal with trauma, this workbook pulls together a wide array of treatments into one concise resource. Equally useful in both group and individual settings, these interventions will provide hope and healing for the client, as well as expand and solidify the professional's expertise. Tools and techniques drawn from the most effective trauma modalities, such as Art Therapy, CBT, DBT, EFT, Gestalt Therapy, Guided Imagery, and Mindfulness.
In this book, you'll find new ways of managing your feelings so that you'll be ready to handle anything life sends your way. Based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of therapy designed to help people who have a hard time handling their intense emotions, this workbook helps you learn the skills you need to ride the ups and downs of life with grace and confidence.
This book offers easy techniques to help you:
•Effectively manage out-of-control emotions
•Reduce the pain of intense emotions
•Get along with family and friends
Office of School Counseling Lending Library
Email Sharon Holter to borrow any items from our Lending Library.
Inspiration and Good News
Kenwood students enjoyed the visit from Coppin State!
The Kenwood High School Food Pantry is getting stocked and ready for the holidays!
The Kenwood team is working hard to get students focused on the words they choose to use.
Websites
Traitify: https://bcps.traitify.com/
MD CAPS (MHEC): https://mdcaps.mhec.state.md.us/MDCAPS/login.aspx?c=-8586295899786270826&ReturnUrl=/MDCAPS/int/FinAid
Schoology Access Codes
Elementary Counseling Curriculum: M4HSN-FCFN4
Secondary Counseling Curriculum: CFBV7-B6PCM
Threat Management: Q6RHK-WHHVC
College and Career Counseling: PFZD6-65N4V
Curriculum Updates: T7BM2-R8JSC
GSA Sponsors (LGBTQ+ resources): ZMBZ-4QXP-DKC89
Contact Information
Naviance Support: 1-866-337-0080 option 2 & support@naviance.com
Signup Genius Support: support@signupgenius.com
CPS email address: dhr.baltimorecountycps@maryland.gov
MHEC FAFSA Completion (MD CAPS): fafsa.mhec@maryland.gov