I have been blogging quite a bit lately, but I am so excited for fall and I have so much to share! :) With many school counseling graduate students out there, the time for fall internship is upon us! I am getting ready myself and I have put together a list of things that you can do to prepare! :)
1. Organize your items: Staying organized goes a long way in internship! This summer, I took the time to create my own internship planner to use for this year! I created a section for schedules & calendars, small groups, meeting notes, notes, and counseling logs. I took a few photos of my planner to show an example of how I put it all together! I used a Five Star notebinder with a customizable cover, Jyjoyner Counselor has a great counselor notebook post using the notebinder! You can click HERE to order a notebinder on amazon!
2. Visit the school website: If you have the time, take the look at the schools website where you will be interning! By doing this, you can look at special events, important contact information, academic calendars,
and more! By taking a look at the academic calendar, you can plan ahead with hours and taking note of school closures, early dismissals, etc. Many schools have their information available online!3. Go in early for an orientation: If you are able to, try to go in early for an orientation if you haven't already. This is great time to take a tour of the school, and get somewhat familiar with your surroundings before the official first day! Take this time to ask any questions that you may have. If you are unable to, getting in contact with them via phone or email before the first day can be a great way to prepare yourself also...or both!
4. Make a list of everything that you need: Things and ideas can pop into our heads at random times..happens to me all the time :) Try keeping a list of what things you need or want to use for internship. Also, try to note what you would like to pack with you! This can be anything...from items for working with students and what to pack for lunch! For ideas on packing and organizing, feel free to check out My Internship Kit blog post!
5. Gather some resources to help you get started: Pinterest is a great place to start for getting together great school counselor resources! Traci R Brown has an awesome post on Pinterest for School Counselors, you can click HERE to read it :) Ready-to-use icebreakers are great when getting started with students as well!
6. Sign up for a library card: I love checking out the local library for counseling resources to borrow! I did this during practicum and I plan to do the same for internship. In addition, check out the counseling books that may be available in the library at your university. I love checking both places for books that I can use in lessons with students, books for professional development, and more! If there is a book that you want, check your local and university library to see if it is available :) Also...it is FREE to borrow!
I have also created a School Counseling Internship Kit that you can purchase in my TeachersPayTeachers store for only $2.50! It includes a internship binder cover page, contact information form, dates to remember, notes page, dice icebreaker activity, internship schedule and counseling internship log! You can click HERE to purchase. I also used my School Counselor Organization Pack!
- Starting your practicum experience: Things to keep in mind
- Tips for running small groups! (Great for first timers!)
- My Internship Kit
Feel free to check out these great posts from other amazing School Counseling Bloggers!
- 36 Must-have Experiences for School Counseling Interns by The Helpful Counselor
- Intern Advice from an Intern by JYJoyner Counselor
- The Internship: Get Organized! by Traci R Brown
- Getting Organized for Internship by The Spirited School Counselor
I hope that you found this post useful! Good luck with internship!! :) What advice do you have for school counseling interns? Feel free to comment below :)
~Nicole
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