School Counseling Files
2,797 Followers
Amesbury, Massachusetts, United States
About the store
I've been a certified elementary school counselor/school social worker (K-5) for over 20 years. Prior to that, I worked for 7 years as an outpatient clinician for children ages 3 to 17.
I am also a children's author! My first picture book, Super George and the Invisible Shield, was written to help teach children ages 7-10 how to better defend themselves against others' mean or thoughtless words. It's available on Amazon.
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Social Superhero Reinforcement Tokens
Use these fun reward tokens to reinforce positive social skills! Practice one target skill and hand out the corresponding token at the end of a counseling session, or let kids see the whole array and challenge them to see how many they can earn over time. Put them on an O-ring or keychain, or velcro them to a reward board (public or private). There are lots of options! This product is also part of my Social Superhero Activity Bundle.
K - 4th
Character Education, Classroom Community
Super George and the Invisible Shield - Picture Book PDF
Help kids learn to stand up to teasing and verbal bullying using the PDF of my picture book, Super George and the Invisible Shield, published in 2017. Kids keep saying things that make George mad. No matter how loudly he yells, they just won't stop. Worst of all, George is the one who keeps getting in trouble! His teacher says he's letting other people steal his power. Can Grandma and George's favorite superhero, Silent Knight, help him learn to stay in control and out of the Cool-Down Corner? F
1st - 4th
Literature, School Counseling, School Psychology
Gingerbread Feelings Game
Students can practice identifying and managing feelings with this holiday-themed cooperative board game. Help the Gingerbread family get into their house safely before the hungry fox gets there looking for a tasty snack!
Students identify feelings of the gingerbread people and think about strategies that might help them feel better. For kids in grades 1-3. Includes game board, game cards and instructions. You provide game tokens and a die.
This game reinforces general emotional regulation ski
1st - 3rd
School Counseling
Bronto Buddies Social Skills Game
What kid doesn't love dinosaurs? I created this cooperative board game for a second grade boys' group to reinforce and practice social skills on two levels: students have to answer questions about friendship issues, and also have to play as a team in order to win the game. It's appropriate for 2-6 students in grades 1-3. Included: -Game board -Instructions -Printable tokens -32 general question cards -6 special situation question cards to use at your discretion -6 blank write-your-own-question c
1st - 3rd
School Counseling, School Psychology
Social Skills Comics for Teens
These social skills comics are perfect for helping teens and older tweens think about things like empathy, others’ perspectives, and expected vs. unexpected behaviors! Includes 9 pages of comics requiring a range of understanding and writing & drawing skill levels, plus a blank Make-Your-Own Comic template for those really creative kids. Students will love this anime-style artwork from Illumismart. See preview for an idea of what’s included. And—as always—visit my website, www.schoolcounseling
6th - 10th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Scenes from Home: Identifying Expected & Unexpected Behaviors
Help younger elementary students think about the kinds of behaviors that are “expected” and “unexpected” in the home setting using these appealing worksheets. Great for familiarizing parents with the terminology as well!
One of my favorite things to teach about is the concept of expected versus unexpected behavior---what does “expected” mean, can it change from one person or situation to another, and how do people feel when someone is acting in an unexpected way? I’ve used these pages with whol
K - 2nd
School Counseling, School Psychology
Go Fish Feelings Cards
Play “Go Fish” with this set of emotions cards. Colors correspond to the Zones of Regulation® (Kuypers, 2011), though students don’t need to be familiar with the Zones to play. Game instructions included. Cards could also be used as flashcards. Best for grades 1-4.
-64 playing cards (4 each of 16 different emotions)
Looking for more emotional regulation resources? Click on "Emotional Regulation" under the Custom Categories heading in my store. Also, please visit my website, www.schoolcounseli
1st - 4th
Character Education, School Counseling, School Psychology
Also included in: Feelings Posters & Emotions Activity Bundle - Save!
Holiday Color-My-Feelings Coloring Pages
Combine students’ love of coloring with a therapeutic counseling activity. This product contains two “color-by-feelings” December holiday designs (same concept as color-by-numbers), and two “Color My Holidays” mandalas. Colors in the color-by-feelings designs are compatible with Leah Kuypers’ Zones of Regulation® (2011), though students do not have to be familiar with the curriculum in order to enjoy the activity.
For another fun holiday-themed emotional regulation activity, check out my “Scen
3rd - 6th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Recess Planning Sheets
If you’re like me, you spend waaaay more time than you’d like dealing with recess issues. I have a slew of kiddos who are either trying to enter a group with all the finesse of a rhinoceros, or wandering around the periphery of the playground with no one to play with. Other kids are getting mad at them, they’re getting into trouble, or they’re lonely and bored. They need more effective strategies for making recess a success.
Enter the Recess Plan. Kids who are armed with a specific plan of
1st - 5th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Behavior Reflection Think Sheets
Help students take responsibility for their actions, understand how they affected others, and make amends with these Think Sheets. Choose the one that is most appropriate to your students’ level of ability and understanding.
K - 6th
Character Education, School Counseling
What Do You Mean, I Have ASD?
This 13-page booklet provides my high functioning students on the autism spectrum with facts about their diagnosis. It’s been a wonderful conversation-starter in my 3rd and 4th grade groups. Students seem fascinated to learn *why* they struggle with things that are easy for other kids.
Read the booklet with your student or group. Print a copy for each individual to take home and refer to it as they wish. There is also a page where they may write or draw about their feelings and questions.
4th - 8th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Counseling Exit Tickets
Exit tickets are a quick check of what your students have learned during their individual or group counseling sessions or class lessons---a concrete way to collect data for progress reports and IEP goals. They can also help you plan for future sessions.
Present one of these nine tickets for kids to complete during the last couple of minutes of your individual or group session. They can quickly write their answers, put their name and the date on the back, and voila!---you have instant feedback
2nd - 8th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Guess What Game: Identifying Expected & Unexpected Behaviors
This guessing game reinforces the concept of "expected" and "unexpected" behaviors, consistent with approaches like Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking® and Leah Kuypers' Zones of Regulation®. Students ask yes/no questions to try and identify which card picturing an expected or unexpected behavior their opponent is holding. It can be played with or without the consoles from the standard version of Hasbro’s Guess Who?®. Though it is a 2-player game, it may be used in small groups with mul
3rd - 7th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Angry Words, Kind Words
I’m a big fan of using picture books in my classroom guidance lessons, and have two favorites that illustrate how bad moods can be contagious and how our words impact those around us. The two books are ANDREW'S ANGRY WORDS by Dorothea Lachner, and THE BAD MOOD by Moritz Petz. Neither book is needed to use these worksheets—you can use any book or video that has the same message. These pages are intended for use in one or two classroom lessons or group sessions. You choose which worksheet and an
2nd - 4th
Character Education, School Counseling, School Psychology
I Am Somebody: Problem poster
Poster with anonymous quote: "I kept looking for somebody to solve the problem, and then I realized, I am somebody." Two color versions and one black and white.
Not Specific
School Counseling
Feelings Flash Cards 3
Gretchen Rose from Speckled Moose Counseling had a wonderful idea---to take my Feelings Posters and use them to make a feelings check-in chart. It was brilliant, but I wanted one where the faces would be larger and I'd have more options for kids to choose from. And---oh yes---I also thought it would be nice if they were compatible with the Zones of Regulation® (Leah Kuypers, 2011), which I teach to the majority of my students.
So, here we have 32 labeled feelings face cards. I bought a 24-po
Not Specific
School Counseling, School Psychology
Also included in: Emotional Regulation Activity Bundle - Save 25%!
Scenes from the North Pole: Identifying Expected and Unexpected Behavior
My Perspective-Taking Comics and Scenes from School have both been big hits with my students, so I decided to make a Christmas version I can use with them the last week before the winter break. With this and a bunch of mini-cupcakes, my planning for the week is done!
One page asks students to circle the elves in Santa's workshop who are behaving expectedly, and to X out those who are behaving unexpectedly.
The second page asks students to complete a comic strip with both expected and unexpec
1st - 4th
School Counseling, School Psychology
CBT Triangle Worksheets
We spend a lot of time teaching kids coping mechanisms they can use to calm themselves when they’re getting dysregulated. Often, however, it’s more effective and more efficient to teach them how not to get upset in the first place. Enter Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT.
The three points of the “CBT triangle” include the thoughts, feelings, and actions that follow an event. Something happens...we have a thought about it...which makes us feel a certain way...and then we react. Many kids
3rd - 12th
School Counseling, School Psychology
Be The Pond Mindfulness Exercise
I think we all know the feeling of being overwhelmed by a jumble of non-stop thoughts or strong emotions. The pond metaphor shows children how to observe and accept their thoughts and feelings without allowing themselves to get all caught up in them---a key component of mindfulness.
I came across this metaphor on the website www.100hours.org.
Included:
-one-page printable story students may read on their own
-version of the same story that an adult may read aloud to a class or group as a gui
2nd - 5th
Health, School Counseling
Feelings Quotes Posters
Since my new Inside Out poster ($6, K-Mart) looked lonely on my office wall, I decided to make these six posters to jazz things up. Each of the 8.5x11" posters has a brightly-colored background with a brief quote. Quotes are:
-changing your thinking can change how you're feeling
-you can be upset but you're still responsible for how you act
-everyone is entitled to their own feelings
-keep calm and talk to the school counselor
-feelings aren't facts; it's a fact that you feel them, but that d
Not Specific
School Counseling, School Psychology
Also included in: Feelings Posters & Emotions Activity Bundle - Save!
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About the store
Experience
I've been a certified elementary school counselor/school social worker (K-5) for over 20 years. Prior to that, I worked for 7 years as an outpatient clinician for children ages 3 to 17.
I am also a children's author! My first picture book, Super George and the Invisible Shield, was written to help teach children ages 7-10 how to better defend themselves against others' mean or thoughtless words. It's available on Amazon.
Teaching style
My teaching style and self-created materials are very eclectic. I take concepts and practices from my favorite approaches (mostly CBT, Zones of Regulation, Mindfulness, Social Thinking, and Collaborative Problem-Solving), and combine them in a way that makes sense to me and is also research-based, fun, and kid-friendly. Products in my store reflect this. You'll also find that my materials have built-in flexibility, allowing you to use them in the way that feels most natural to you. If you're looking for very structured and scripted materials, I may not be your best resource.
ALL products have been used extensively with my fabulous students, who are always more than happy to tell me how to improve my lessons! I take most of their advice, except when it comes to a vocal minority's repeated requests that I include fart jokes. You're welcome.
Awards & shining teacher moments
*Contributor to the Parent Soup A-Z Guides
*Listed in Who’s Who in America, 2004
*Guest Appearance on KISS 108’s “Matty in the Morning” Show, discussing ADHD
*Member Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Honor Society) and Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society)
*Education policy consultant to Mass State Representative James Kelcourse
*Finalist for Haverhill Teacher of the Year
My own education history
A.B. in Psychology from Smith College;
MA in School Psychology from University of Detroit
CAGS in School Psychology from Northeastern University
Additional biographical information
Please visit my website, www.schoolcounselingfiles.com, to find free activities and resources for school counselors.
You may also want to visit my author website, www.lauriepmendoza.com
Note: My store logo graphics are by Michael C. Parker, with fonts by Miss Tiina and Kimberly Geswein
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