Innovative Counselling

Dr. Judy Osmond

Great counsellors are innovative. We draw from the repertoire of techniques we’ve honed from our years of experience and seek to improve our sessions with students and parents.  Don’t you just love those breakthrough sessions where we not only help transform the lives of our precious students where they are able to live their higher self but also the lives of parents who improve the ways in which they help navigate their children through high school and the university decision process? Isn’t this our goal in school counseling?

To be innovative, the habits of this out-of-the-box-thinking counsellor consists of

(1) changing our mindset from being a counsellor/advisor to becoming a thought leader, seeking trends in the field of transformational action plans and implementing them in schools.

(2) changing family counselling sessions from a feel good, run-of-the-mill counselling session to an experience of transforming the way we help  parents prepare for and navigate their children’s future.

(3) changing from a “welcome to high school, this-is-how-we-do-it-here” mindset to an inquiry mode, asking more deliberate and inquiring thought questions, delivering a more personalized and action oriented session to our students and parents.

(4) changing the question, “what do colleges want” to “what is the best advise/solution for the student that will help our students to ultimately transform and succeed in life?”

This is where counseling is fun AND beneficial to the student and his/her parents.  This mindset is what keeps the fulfillment in the wealthy counsellor’s life.

Why be innovative? The benefits are breath taking!

You, as a counsellor, who seek out these practices will 

(1) immediately begin initiating & helping students achieve successful results.

(2) attract new families to our school through word of mouth marketing by our students who speak of the life-changing session they’e had with you.

(3) reap the rewards of parents changing the way they raise children to become better students and create a happier home environment.

(4) reap the benefits of watching the entire grade levels of students experience greater success, impact and personal transformation.

(5) increase student acceptance rates into first choice colleges (including IVY Leagues) and yield higher retention rates of our students when in college.

How Counsellors Can Contribute to School Greatness

Dr. Judy Osmond

Counsellors who truly want to be the very best in the world will seek to counsel and advise with the focus on excellence, thinking out of the box and rising to their highest professional self.

To be clear, we want to help students and parents attain personal excellence and reach their higher self.

To help the administrative team transform a school to greatness, the counsellor will 

(1) strive to understand the existing gaps and barriers to student growth in their school. He/she will be mindful of any behavioral or cultural systemic barrier which currently  decreases retention rates and undermine school effectiveness.

(2) be a formal or informal leader of school-wide initiatives and grade level teams, mentoring and coaching teachers with impactful ideas, concepts and quality programming.

(3) create and implement new and innovative ways to increase student retention and overall student experience.

(4) constantly seek to help deliver new ways to add to school effectiveness, using ideas from books such as “Good to Great”, “Habits of Highly Effective Students”, and “Mindset”.

(5) lead by expert example.

(6) provide high levels of fun, engagement and quality student experiences by creating opportunities for student leadership and excellence.

The counsellor will reap the benefits of

(1) closing existing gaps, increasing school effectiveness and overall student experience.

(2) watching the school culture reach its next level of excellence for the good of everyone in the entire school community.

(3) helping guidance department and teachers become more re-energized, positive, supportive, welcoming and effective.

(4) helping contribute to the school’s brand and improving perception in the community.

This is a win-win for everyone and YOU, the counsellor, have the ultimate advantage of  being in a position of transforming the school culture and climate to greatness.

Social Media a Must for Counsellors

Dr. Judy Osmond

Most counsellors and teachers I know have fought the good fight of deciding whether or not to delve into social media (Blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, Podcast, YouTube, Periscope, Instagram, Twitter)  for the obvious reason.  We want to protect our privacy.  In order to protect our privacy, of course, all we need to do is keep all things professional. Period. So, it is with a growth mindset that I have decided to begin publishing my experiences online, in keeping with a polished professional image while staying private.

After watching countless you tube videos and reading hundreds of books on the topics of entrepreneurship and personal financial planning, it is clear that we no longer can afford not to raise our profile on social media. If we truly want to make a positive difference in the world (the number one reason people choose education as their profession) and become financially independent (the number one goal of all people who do not want to become dependent on the government for assistance), then we MUST work on establishing our mark through social media.

Patrick Bet-David, on YouTube, tells it like this. . .

Blogging is the new newspaper.

LinkedIn is the new resume.

Facebook is the new letter.

Podcast is the new radio.

YouTube is the new television.

Periscope (within Twitter) is the new television broadcast.

Instagram is the new photo album.

Twitter is the new entertainment and gossip column.

So, I now have realized that to be great is to keep current and relevant, continue making a difference in the lives of students and parents, keep making the journey towards financial independence and living the dream of a wealthy-minded professional.

Hello, world!

 

The Quality-Driven Counsellor

Dr. Judy Osmond

What Makes Good Counsellors Great?

THE one thing that all schools are needing is the formula to student success.  Your job as a counsellor is to proactively create a positive revolution within the hearts and minds of the students you counsel.  You will not only strive to bring out the best in them, but your ultimate goal is to help them reach their higher self.

Above all else, the exceptional counsellor strives for quality in each and every task, meeting and presentation throughout the working day.

The Quality-Driven Counsellor is one who

(1) is an expert in creating, organizing, and delivering quality programs to students, families and teachers, offering success strategies, accountability practices, and action oriented ideas.

(2) makes lessons and assemblies purposeful, effective and powerful

(3) catches the imagination and dreams of students and parents in their sessions (eg. begin  your talk with “imagine two years from now, you’re sitting in a lecture room at your first choice university . . . “).

(4) personalizes counselling for each families by doing more asking than talking. You seek to understand their core family values and the greatest fears about their children.

(5) reads at least two or three book and/or watches several you tube videos per month on best practices and research about how children learn. You want to offer sound and thoughtful advice that brings students and families to their next level of excellence.  

(6) seeks out opportunities and proactively approach students and families to discuss low test scores, decreased performance, and/or changes in student behaviour.

Guaranteed Results

Once a counsellor has practiced his/her craft enough, the results will show for themselves:

Students and families will

(1) repeat business with your school. Families will re-enroll their child, in part,  because of the quality of counselling service provided to them. Your school should experience increased retention rates by 5% to 10% each year.

(2) naturally tell other friends and family members of your quality service and attract new families to your office and, potentially, to admissions.

(3) experience a marked improvement in student behaviour and achievement results almost immediately.

(4) experience increased student acceptance rates at Ivy League and first choice colleges, securing major scholarship money from competitive colleges for well-deserving students. Your superb counselling and advise will connect students with colleges and universities of best fit, thus increasing their retention rate in their post-secondary school.