Thankful Sale!!

Hello fellow counselors!!

As a thank you to my TpT customers, I am throwing a thankful sale! When you buy 2 items from my TpT store, you can get one FREE! Follow the steps below to get your FREE product: 

1. Purchase 2 items from the Cheerful Counseling TpT Store- Click HERE or visit "My TpT Store" page at the top to access my store!

2.  Once you've purchased your products, email me at cheerfulcounseling@yahoo.com with the following information: 

• Your TpT username (No password)
• Your FREE product choice 

3. I will respond to your email with your FREE product choice! 

This offer is valid from November 23-25!! 

Enjoy this offer while it lasts :) Thanks everyone!!

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Shopping, 

~Nicole 

Tips for running small groups!

Hi There!!

This is a follow-up to my Small Group Counseling Post :) I came up with a few tips to keep in mind when running small groups which have been helpful for me!

1. Document what worked and what didn't: In practicum, I wrote down which activities worked for group sessions, and it was very helpful! It can help you plan the remaining sessions for your group and reactions of the group members to the activity. Whether you write it down, use or use an excel spreadsheet, having a system for documenting and debriefing sessions can really go a long way! Also, if you happen to run the same type of group later, you can even refer to what has worked in the past for guidance and future planning!

This is a printable that I created to help me track what worked and what didn't for particular groups and sessions! It is available for FREE in my TeachersPayTeachers store! You can download it HERE.

2. Evaluations for Groups: This is an awesome way to get feedback from your students! I personally like the Likert scale when creating group evaluations :) Depending on the age group, feelings faces can also work well :) I've always learned that it is important to make an evaluation both at the start of the group and at the end of the group! Groups: Planning and Leadership Skills is a great resource to refer to when running groups :) This was a textbook for one of my courses and it has great examples on evaluations, brainstorming, sequencing, and so much more!! I recommend it :)


3. Switch things up & get creative! I love the idea of providing variety in groups and getting to see students interact in different ways! Discussions are great, but it also great to have a variety of games, movement activities, and more! Students can sometimes get used to the same thing, and providing different opportunities to learn about themselves and group members through other means is helpful as well :)

4. Drawing out members: Participation is key :) It is important for group members to get as much out of the experience as possible. Similar to the last step, various group activities can allow members to contribute and learn from others in the small group counseling experience. Giving each member opportunity to share is a great way to give each member the floor! Teaching group members to not only participate, but give others the opportunity to do so as well!

5. Go with the flow! In teaching, there is always a possibility that the lesson plan may not go exactly as written...and that also applies to small group as well. It is always possible that you may need to tweak your goals, objectives, and plans to fit the needs of the group. The key to this is flexibility, and going where your group goes, and letting the students contribute to the group goals, objectives, and plans :)

6. Have a Plan B: If something is not going as planned in the moment, you can try to switch to Plan B to see if that goes well. If you are trying something new that you are unsure of, having a plan B in this case can be extremely helpful :) Speaking of planning, over plan! I always find it helpful to plan more than you think you should! I also use my small group planning schedule that I created to plan what materials I need, in case I don't forget anything beforehand!

7. Resources: There are MANY resources and lesson ideas available to you! With pinterest boards, TeachersPayTeachers, counseling blogs, and much more! I try to organize my pinterest boards by topic so I can reference them in a flash when I'm looking for ideas! With all of the many resources for ideas, this can also help with variety in session. You can never have enough ideas for icebreakers and small group sessions!

My Small Group Planning Materials (Planning and Documentation Form) are also available for free by clicking  HERE

What ideas do you have for small groups? What has worked for you and your groups in the past? Again, I would love to hear them!!

 I hope that you have found these tips and free printables useful :) I know that I have been on a blogging kick lately, ideas have been popping in my head to share with everyone! My vacation starts tomorrow, so I will be practicing self-care!


Take care & enjoy the summer,

~Nicole

Girls Group Resources

Hi Everyone!!

I know that I have been commenting on summer in the last few blog posts....but I am really excited about it. In my last post, I talked about small group counseling and how vital it is to school counseling programs and for students!! In practicum, I had the pleasure of running a girls group with my supervisor and I loved it!! I loved it so much that I began to get resources together to use in the future. There are many books and websites out there that have many resources when helping girls with particular issues and in small groups! I have also included products in my TeachersPayTeachers store (some are available for FREE!)

Websites I recommend: 

The Ophelia Project: The Ophelia Project has a number of amazing resources for bullying support with girls! I frequent this website very often, and it has much information in for relational aggression in both boys and girls! There is information for schools, parents, and lessons and activities that you can use for individual and group lessons! This site is one of my favorites, and the resources cover relational aggression, cyberbullying, elementary/middle school friendship units, and more! You can check out their website HERE.

Girls, Inc: I love this website also!! This website inspires girls to be the best that they can be! There is information for parents on particular issues, and Girls Inc. programs designed to help other girls such as Friendly PEERsausian :) You can check out what this website has to offer HERE. The Website also includes a Girls Bill of Rights, which is awesome to use for group!

Books I Love! 

Bullying in the Girls World by Diane S. Senn: This book covers a number of topics pertinent to girls in school, and many individual, group, and resources for teachers and parents on the issue of relational/aggression and bullying! This book is about $28 on amazon, and a great investment!

The Girls Guide to Loving Yourself by Diane Jensen: I came across this one on amazon and got it for a GREAT price, (used for $5) and it has many great lessons for ways to deal with emotions, dating, friendship, and just being comfortable with yourself. Many of the topics in this book can be lessons by themselves!! 

I have also listed a few books that are on my wishlist:

• G.I.R.L.S In Real Life Situations by Julia V. Taylor and Shannon Trice-Black 
• Guiding Girls Toward Greatness by Melanie Martin 
• I Hate Wendy Club: Lessons & Activities on Relational Aggression, grades 2-5
• The Sandwich Swap

These are some of the resources that I own and plan to get in the near future! Many of the activities are great, and can be used over and over!! I have also created a few products that are available in my TeachersPayTeachers store!

The first one is my Self-Esteem Dice Game, that you can download for free HERE. This game includes a cut-and-fold dice with questions and statements in relation to self-esteem :)

My Girls Group Activity Pack  is also available for purchase and it includes activities on self-esteem, friendship, cyberbullying, gossip and rumors, popularity, and relating to others (a last session activity) by writing what you like about the other members! The I Like Myself Freebie is also available!!


The Relational Aggression Bingo Game is available as well as my "I am Special and Unique" Self-Esteem Freebie- Check them Out in my Store!!

I hope that this post was of use to you in building your resources!! I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer!! If the school year isn't quite over for you, you are almost there!!

Until Next Time,

~Nicole

Small Group Counseling :)

Hi Everyone,

Is everyone excited for summer yet? I am excited that the semester is over, and that has given me time to blog and create new ideas!!
In this post, I wanted to talk about counseling in small groups :) I personally love all things counseling, but I want to briefly discuss small groups. I love the idea of small groups and how students learning and hearing from one another is quite therapeutic. In my graduate coursework, I took a group work class and I fell in love with counseling small groups even more! In my practicum, I had experiences running small groups, and I absolutely loved counseling students in the form of a group lesson. Most of all, it is like having a group chat,  in such a fun way! I think that, small groups are great to have in schools, and also helps students learn from others and interact!
Lately, I have been creating a few activity packs for my TeachersPayTeachers Store, which are perfect for running small groups and individual sessions also. One is my Anger Management Pack that includes 5 activities to help students manage their anger :) The next pack that I recently created is my Girls Group Activity Pack that you can purchase!! My Girls Group Pack includes activities that pertain to topics including popularity, friendship, cyberbullying, gossip/rumors, self-esteem, and relating to others :) Third, I also have posted my Success Skills Activity Pack that focuses on goal setting, being a good student, test taking, organization skills, setting priorities, and keeping track of assignments :)

 In my spare time, I have also been up to creating my internship planner for next year which I will share in an upcoming blog post. On the other hand, my personal planner is complete which brings me to my Cheerful Counseling Crafty Moment :) I will begin to do an occassional "crafty moment" in my blog post, where I post a creative DIY idea!! For this post, it is my DIY Personal Planner, which can be for work or for organizing your personal life and School Counseling Program!!

I used some printables from etsy, but I created all of the printables that you see here....Be on the lookout for more crafty moments and my DIY Planner Post coming next month!! 

Do you also love small groups? If so, what awesome ideas have you done that have worked well? I would love to hear them!! 

Summer is right around the corner fellow counselors!!

~Nicole :)

Counseling Activities using paper & writing utensils!

Good Morning all!

Happy Friday!! I hope that we all plan to relax this weekend, and have some fun!! The weather will be nice here in the midwest, and I plan to take advantage of it! I wanted to write a post for everyone sharing some quick & easy counseling activities if you have paper and pencils on hand! If you would like, crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils are a great addition to these activities depending on the age group!

1. Letter to myself: This is still a great activity to use! In a self-esteem group, a letter writing activity can be great for students! Giving the students an opportunity to write positive thoughts to themselves is quite a rewarding activity!! Journal writing is a great idea too and can be made with just paper

2. Three Column Activity "How I Feel": This is a great solution-focused activity where you have the students fold their paper into 3 columns. In the first column, students can draw or write about how they currently feel about something. In the second column, students can draw or write how they want to feel about something. Lastly, the third c
olumn they can discuss possible ways to get to their desired feeling. For instance, they can draw or write about people who support them, or things that they can do to feel better :)

3.  All about me-Self-Esteem Activity: This activity is a another great way for students to focus on the positives about themselves. They can even draw a picture of themselves in the middle or bring in a picture of their own! Around the drawing or picture, they can include special and unique things about themselves, because everyone is special and unique! I also have a free printable in my TeachersPayTeachers store that you can download HERE.

4. Choice Making Activity: This activity is great in helping the little ones decide on choice making! The students can fold their paper into 3 columns....In the first column, have the students list 3 or more possible choices for a certain topic. In the second column, the students can explore each choice and consider consequences. In the third column, they can write their final choice. If they wish, they can discuss why this was the best choice!
 I also have a printable and worksheet on choice making that you can purchase HERE for $1.50 if you wish!

5. Memory Book: Memory books are a great activity, and can be done using just paper and pencil! This can be good for students experiencing divorce, or grief and loss. For each group session, students can add something new to their book, they can draw pictures or color, and even write about memories that they want to cherish. When the group concludes, this is something tangible that they can take with them if they wish to. So you may need a stapler in addition to the paper for this activity to keep the books together but that's about all!


I used marker and crayons for these activities, which is good for the little ones! This works out great for quick group activities if you have paper on hand! I hope that you have found these to be useful to you!! Also, I am now on Facebook and Twitter, so don't forget to follow me!! You can also subscribe to the blog above to get updates via e-mail when I have uploaded new posts!!

Enjoy the weekend fellow counselors and future counselors!!

~Nicole 

Turning Dollar Store finds into Counseling Treasures!

Hi There!!

Hopefully everyone had a fantastic week! It is currently raining where I am, which made it the perfect time to make a plate of my favorite snack (pretzel crisps & carrots dipped in hummus) and catch up with my blog! 

I frequent the dollar store, and sometimes I even visit there to see what they have, and what great counseling ideas I can come up with for individuals and groups! I came up with a list of 5 things that I have purchased for my counseling treasure box that I use and plan to use again and again :)

1. Poster Board: I love to use poster board because the opportunities with this item are endless!! For a self-esteem group, having the members write their name in the center (they can also draw themselves or bring a picture in for a personal touch) and write personal attributes about themselves. You can even pass the boards around and have each group member write something nice about the other. Poster Board can be used in so many ways and for many topics including: 

• Memory Poster as a Grief Activity for Students 
• Getting to know you activity: a favorite things poster (Favorite food, favorite tv shows, and things that they are good at) 

Again, the list goes on and on! The best part is that a white poster board is 0.50 cents and around 70 cents for colored poster! These are a pretty decent size, you can always cut them in half or even fourths depending on the activity. The poster also gives the students something tangible to keep from the experience, which I love :) (Note: With the grief group, it is important to keep in mind the students that you are working with, and if the poster activity would be appropriate for that group of students)

2. Foam Dice: Comes with 2 in a pack! This was an awesome find, and in fact, I have included a picture below of the one I created :) Dice games can be created for just about anything! These can be found in the toy section, if you have paper or card stock this makes for an easy activity! Simply cut the paper or card stock into squares (6 squares if you are using 1 die and 12 if you plan to use both) Write questions or statement on each square and tape to dice! Have the students take turns rolling :) The best part is, you can simply remove the squares and use this again for another activity! I have also used the dice as is and each number corresponded to a question (classic dice game in counseling).

Here is an example of the Self-Esteem Questions that I added to my die :)

3. Balloons: Oh how I love balloons, and kiddos love them too! After reading "The Secret Olivia Told Me" by N.Joy (a book that is on my wishlist) for secrets and spreading rumors. I got the idea from this book, and first you start by blowing a balloon for the students (you can get a pack of 15 for $1 at the dollar store!) and also giving students sticky notes)...First the students will blow the balloon up as much as they would like, (but not too much so it doesn't pop). The point is, the bigger the secret or rumor, the bigger the balloon gets. Then the students can take turns writing on sticky notes ways to stop the balloon from getting bigger (the rumor from spreading :) Once all the students have given great ideas (you can even break them into groups for brainstorming different ideas) and the balloon can be popped. Having students remember these things to stop rumors and secrets from getting so big! 

In addition, Anger Management can be practiced by taking deep breaths in a balloon, or even the classic stressball recipe! which can be found here :) 

In eliminating negative self talk, have students write on balloons negative statements ("I can't do it, "I'm not smart enough) and popping them!

4. Gift Bags: Gift Bags are my go-to at the dollar store! In counseling, they can be quite therapeutic. I love Liana Lowenstein Books, and in "Creative Interventions for Children of Divorce", one of her interventions is the "Feel Better Bag" for children. You can always alter the contents of the bag for the kiddos that you are working with. Giving them something for their bag to help them feel better can give them something to look when they need to feel better. Again, this is a great tangible item for students! Kiddos can even decide if they have things of their own that they would like to put in their bag (maybe a favorite stuffed animal, picture, or drawing). Opportunities are endless with this item as well!

5. Cooking and Baking Tins: This may seem silly...but hear me out...it can be pretty amazing! In teaching students a certain topic, (I-Messages, deep breaths, bullying)- Making it into a recipe can be both fun and entertaining for students. For example, recipe for not bullying! Students can write and include statements for the baking tin To stop bullying, students can create a recipe list of telling an adult, use kind words, etc. I have included an example of the "Stop Bullying Cake" Below :) I cut squares of paper, but food shapes are great for this also!

~Nicole 

This pan is a bit rusty because I've used it for cooking, but you can purchase an alumninum pan for $1 :)

I hope that you all have enjoyed this post, and have found this to be useful in counseling on a budget! 

Also, Cheerful Counseling is now on Facebook! Yes...You heard right!! I will be adding a facebook button soon but for now you can click the link to like Cheerful Counseling on facebook here! There are more opportunities for sharing ideas in addition to the blog, and there will be a freebie for facebook fans coming soon! :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...hoping for warm weather!!

~Nicole