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 :)

Studying for Licensure and Comps!

Hi There,

For me, it is officially summer!! Classes are done, and the livin's easy!! :) It is nice to have more time to blog ideas and create more products for my TeachersPayTeachers store that I will share later in the post!!

This summer, I will be taking my School Counselor Licensure Exam :) This is happening so fast, and my future as a school counselor is so close that I can taste it! With other counseling students taking exams, I thought I would share some things to keep in mind when preparing and studying:

1. Take advantage of the resources available at your fingertips: There is much information available on the internet for licensure exams including practice tests, breakdown of the test, number of questions, etc. It is important to be knowledgable on how it is laid out and the content of the test as well (it can help you prepare). As for practice tests, there are many study guides available for many of the licensure exams out there!! In addition, be sure to check amazon for books that pertain to your test (i.e. The Encyclopedia of Counseling is a great resource for many). The books will cost money, but there are many free resources available to study as well-Check out the website for the exam that you are studying for!

2. Practice what you preach! In Practicum, I ran a study skills group where we discussed test prep, goal setting, good and bad study habits, etc. All of those are great study skills for success that I helped the students with, and applying them to my own studying for these exams can really go a long way!

3. Take advantage of your "bored" and/or free time! During the time that you are not working or doing work for summer classes, take some time (around 20 min each day)  to go over resources and information a few months before the exam!! This can be helpful in preventing a crazy cram session for the important test day!

4. Stay Organized!! I like to have a place for everything, and study material for the exams is no exception for me :) I keep my course material from each course in a binder, and I have dividers to seperate for each class. With the comprehensive exam, I can study for one class at a time, and the information is seperated. I also write down the date for my licensure exam in my calendar so I can visually see how much time I have to study and prepare for the exam. When registering for the exam, be sure to do it well in advance and give yourself as much time as you feel you need to study. For me, I am scheduled for August, which gives me the majority of the summer to study and prepare!

5. Group Study Buddies!! If you are the kind of the person who likes to study in groups, this can really help you study! When studying with other classmates in the program before the exam, you can help refresh each other memories and recite information from the course material. Remember: you know this stuff, but you may need a few friendly reminders!

6. Most of all, Relax!! Remember to take some time for yourself while still studying and preparing! Self-care is a great skill to master as an Intern and for those entering the counseling profession. I am working on it, and getting better at it!


I hope that these tips will be useful to someone taking their comprehensive or licensure exam soon!! I have uploaded 2 awesome new ways to stay organized. First, is my School Counseling Internship Kit that you can purchase for $2.50. This product comes with a binder cover page, contact information form, dates to remember, internship schedule, notes page, and an icebreaker dice activity!

Second is my School Counselor Planner Pack is filled with cute printables that look great in a binder also!! This pack is also $2.50 and comes with "School Counselor Planner" binder cover, weekly planning sheet, dates to remember, to-do list, small group info sheet, notes page, and counselor ideas page! Great materials for putting together your own DIY Planner :) If you wish to include monthly calendars in your planner, you can download my 12-month calendar set for free HERE.

I also uploaded a "How I Feel" Chart Freebie that includes 3 columns that read: "How I feel", "How I want to feel", and "things or people that can help me" :)

Have a great week everyone!! I am now on Twitter AND Facebook so be sure to like/follow me!! You may also e-mail me at cheerfulcounseling@yahoo.com or facebook message me!

~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 

My Internship Kit

Hi Everyone!

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged and its always nice to get back on here :) It's saturday and a beautiful day outside and this has put me in the blogging mood!

With Internship fast approaching, I am so excited!! In practicum, I was super organized with everything and I plan to do the same for internship. For an organized person like me, I like to have it all in one place. I wanted to share my Internship Resource/Organization Kit with everyone and I have included: what I bring, how I pack, and how I keep it all organized!

  For starters, I love my Thirty One Organizing Utility Tote! I use this tote because of how roomy it is in the inside, the many pockets on the outside, and its flat bottom for easy access and organization of items! This is my tote of choice, but feel free to use any tote that you like and what works for you :) You can locate a thirty one representative in your area HERE. I include the following in my internship kit (I will discuss each in further detail)
1. School Counseling Internship Binder (Where I keep many resources and materials)
2. Counseling Notebook
3. Small art supply case
4. Counseling go-to resource book
5. Quick icebreaker and activity ideas


1. My School Counseling Internship Binder: This binder starts off pretty empty in the beginning, but I include a divider for each domain (Academic, College/Career & Personal/Social) and include resources that I accumulate during my experience! When you're done, you've got some school counseling resources available in your binder and you are good to go! I'm using a 1 1/2 inch binder (from target) which has plenty of room and fits perfectly in my organizing tote! In addition to building resources, I learned from The Helpful Counselor  that it is good to keep emergency information and resources in your binder (suicide resources, child abuse & neglect, etc.) Which I have decided to do too!
For the little ones in particular, having blank paper in your binder can be a good idea as well, and there are tons of activities that can be done with simply paper, pencil, crayons/colored pencils, etc. I have included links to other awesome printables that I have included in my binder as well that you can download for free!!

• My School Counselor Appointment Reminders
• Stylish School Counselor's "Check in Scale"- Download it HERE
• Stylish School Counselor's "Confidentiality Rules"- Download it HERE

2. Counseling Notebook: I absolutely love this! I used a Five Star Notebinder to make this which is an idea from the amazing school counseling blog JYJCounselor! I used some ideas from the post to create my own! This Five Star Notebinder is amazing! It comes with lined paper, graph paper, and dividers! I ordered my notebinder with customizable cover on amazon HERE.
I have the following divider sections that I use for this notebinder:
*Small Groups
*Schedules & Calendars
*Meeting Notes
*Notes
*Counseling Logs (I keep my to-do lists here as well)

I used my School Counselor Organization Pack for this notebook that you can purchase in my TeachersPayTeachers store for only $2.50! It comes complete with log sheets/forms, dividers, and binder covers to help making organization a breeze!! Purchase it here!

Other items that I used for my Counseling Notebook (You can download them for free!)

• My Small Group Planning Materials: Download them HERE
• My School Counselor To-Do List Printable: Download it here!
• "A Year of Many Firsts" Chevron Binder Covers and Monogram it for free HERE!
• My Blank 12-month calendar freebie (Monday-Friday)- They are blank and can be printed and used year after year! Download for free!
• My Small Group Debriefing Chart

3. Small Art Supply Case: I love to keep this case in my Internship Kit, they are only about $1 at the dollar store or walmart! It fits perfectly in my kit, and I keep 24-pack crayons, glue sticks, scissors, colored pencils, and 10-pack of markers, which are all inexpensive!

4. Counseling go-to resource book: My book of choice for my kit is "Grab Bag Guidance: And other Small-Group Counseling Topics for Middle School Students" by Becky Kirby!! Her books are amazing, especially for middle school counselors. With me being at the middle school for internship, her books are awesome!! "Grab Bag Guidance" includes energizers and wonderful activities that cover so many topics including grief & loss, divorce, success skills, self-esteem, etc. Excellent for classroom and group activities! I will be doing a future blog post on my favorite counseling books and resources soon, featuring books by Becky Kirby! This book is about $30 but totally worth it! You can purchase it HERE and get free shipping! Feel free to choose your book of choice for your kit!!

5. Quick Ice Breaker and Activity Ideas: This bag can be great to have whenever you are in need of a quick ice breaker or individual/group activity. I got my first Thumball as a christmas present, and I cannot wait to use this with students! Great way to get to know students as well, and they are about $10 on amazon! I also have included blank index cards as they can serve many purposes! These can serve as quick converstation starters activity by writing down questions that pertain to your group topic, or have group members write their own questions to share! They can even be cut and taped on to large foam dice, which I have also included. The dice game can be a great interactive game for any group, and you can always remove the squares and place new questions for a different group! I purchased my foam dice for only $1, and you can check out my blog post on foam dice and other dollar store counseling finds HERE!


The best part about it is....everything fits in one place! All in my organizing tote! I even have space for my Vera Bradley Lunch Bunch Tote!

Pardon my slipper...lol! There are a number of pockets on the outside in case I need them, which I love..there's even space for a small water bottle in one of the pockets! I have actually use one pocket for post-it notes and pen in case I need to jot down something quickly! In additon, a small notebook/notepad can be great for your intership kit! 

I hope that you all have enjoyed this post and have found it useful! Also, feel free to adjust your kit for your age group as well!! I hope that you all enjoy your week!! Also, don't forget to like Cheerful Counseling on Facebook! Facebook fan freebie coming soon!! 

I would also like to hear from you!! What ways have or did you stay organized in internship?? If you are a practicing school counselor, how do you stay organized now? What advice do you have for interns or those just entering the profession? Feel free to post in the comments!! 

~Nicole 

Bulletin Boards: A Blast from the past!

Hi everyone!

I hope that you all are enjoying the weekend!! I sure am :) I was actually going through some pics of old bulletin boards that I've done...and decided to share them with you all! :) During my undergrad, I worked as an RPM-Resident Peer Mentor in my residence hall (we were available to assist students with academic support and worked alongside the RA's) which I loved!! My bulletin boards catered to academic and college information! Since these boards were posted in for college students, but I have also included ways to adapt these to different age levels.. I apologize that my pictures aren't clear..they were taken from a distance and many are somewhat blurry..but the titles are clear enough to read and I have included descriptions:

Bulletin Board Title: College Life

For this board, I included a path to inform students on what they can be doing during each year of their college path-the road to their future career. I have included a start and finish to the path, and tips for students for each year For example, during freshman year students can work to learn and get familiar with the campus, and getting involved. If they are unsure of a major, they can take a few classes on things that interest them, and see if a future career can spark from that. Also, deciding if they want to look for a career after graduation or continue their education are things to think about during junior year. This board can be applied to High School Students by listing things to do during each year of high school as they prepare for college/career!Or even at the middle school level on what they can do to prepare for high school life! This is byfar one of my favorite boards from undergrad :) In the cut-out suns, I included tips on how they can be productive over the summer (internship opportunities, prepare and take exams if they need to)

Bulletin Board Title: Get Schooled! On Grad School
I created this board when I was a senior in undergrad, and taking the next step to move on to graduate school. I included information on what master's programs are offered at the school where I attended for undergrad (if they wish to stay) tests they may need to take, etc. This is a great theme for a college information board and even including financial aid information, SAT/ACT information, etc I included a link and QR code for students to access the Petersons online college guide which you can find here. Including career options is an awesome idea too! Getting students college and career ready!

 Bulletin Board Title: The Sweet Taste of Success
I created this as a candy/valentine's day theme board! I have included all sorts of yummy treats, and successful academic study tips for students! I included this board to have assist students with academic success!! I love this one because the theme can be adapted to many age levels!

 Bulletin Board Titles: Give Yourself a Pat on the Back & Treat Yourself
I decided to group these two together since they are based on the same topic. These boards discuss rewarding yourself and taking a break after a job well done! For the "Pat on the back" board, I included paper hands as the border and ways to reward yourself. The "Treat Yourself" board includes ways to reward yourself and to take time to relax and each cookie/cupcake. This board is great for students and staff as well. With staff, it can provide tips to help prevent burnout for teachers, counselors and all members of the school!!


This was alot of fun taking a walk down memory lane on the bulletin boards that I created :) I hope that these  ideas will be useful to you in the future! What bulletin board ideas have you used in your schools? Did any of your bulletin boards reflect school-wide themes? I would love to hear them!

I hope that everyone enjoys their upcoming week!

Until next time...

~Nicole