EmpowerEd Counseling
4 Followers
Portland, Oregon, United States
About the store
I’m a National Certified Counselor and licensed school counselor with 20+ years of experience across elementary, high school, and alternative education. Most of my career has been in alternative settings, where I’ve seen firsthand how classrooms can become places of healing, hope, and growth.
Over the years, I’ve learned that social-emotional growth works best when it’s not an “extra,” but woven into how we teach, learn, and connect every day. My approach blends human-centered counseling with meaningful academic connections, using real-life moments and story-based lessons to build self-awareness, resilience, and authentic growth.
Working directly in classrooms, I’ve seen SEL emerge in the smallest ways — a student managing time, a peer conflict inviting empathy, or a missed assignment sparking reflection. These moments happen all day long, but teachers — while deeply invested — are often juggling content, time, and expectations, leaving little room to pause and build on them.
CarouSEL Kits grew out of this experience. They help uncover the SEL opportunities already embedded in the texts teachers use. Each Treasure Ticket highlights a point in the story — and in the classroom — where students can explore skills like emotional regulation, self-talk, boundary-setting, or peer support. These tools make SEL integration feel natural, doable, and impactful for educators and students alike.
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The Calm Corner Bundle: Creating SEL Supported Calm Corners
Help your teachers see Calm Corners as more than a “break spot”—this ready-to-use PD resource shows how to embed social-emotional learning into everyday instruction. Best designed for K - 5 classrooms (but easily adapted for middle or high school), this PD can be used by counselors, instructional leaders, and/or administrators, to guide staff through the why, how, and what of Calm Corners. The framework helps teachers build Calm Corners that are incorporated into the purpose and practice
K - 5th
Classroom Community, School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
CCSS, TEKS
SL.K.1a
, SL.K.6
, SL.1.5
+20
Calm Corners: Tips for SEL Success
This ready-to-use slide deck walks teachers through the why, how, and what of Calm Corners, helping them see these spaces as an essential part of embedding SEL into daily instruction—not just a place to “take a break.” Designed for K–5 classrooms (but easily adapted for middle or high school), the slides provide a clear framework that encourages teachers to build Calm Corners into the purpose and practice of their instruction. An excellent resource for counselors, instructional leaders, or ad
K - 5th
Classroom Community, School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Also included in: The Calm Corner Bundle: Creating SEL Supported Calm Corners
Calm Corners (editable copy)
Support teachers in creating proactive and effective Calm Corners with this editable Google Slides PD resource. This PD is designed to help educators anchor their Calm Corner in purpose and practice, teach SEL tools explicitly, and celebrate the return to learn. Teachers will walk away with strategies to align their Calm Corner with existing SEL frameworks, model, practice, and reinforce SEL strategies and reinforce successful “return to learn” moments. What’s Included: Editable Google Slides
K - 5th
Classroom Community, School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Also included in: The Calm Corner Bundle: Creating SEL Supported Calm Corners
SEL 101 Bundle
SEL 101 Bundle (Updated Edition)This bundle brings together everything you need to lead an SEL 101 session that feels supportive, not overwhelming. Inside you’ll find: A presentation that breaks down what SEL is (and isn’t), why it matters, and how it naturally shows up in teaching.An updated facilitator’s guide (goodbye old lesson plan!) with prompts, talking points, and activity notes to keep you confident and prepared.A teacher-friendly infographic you can share or post as a quick visual remi
Not Specific
School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Calm Corner PD, Facilitators Guide
This facilitator guide is designed to make leading Calm Corner PD simple, clear, and impactful. Aligned to the slide deck, it provides step-by-step notes, talking points, and pacing suggestions so counselors, instructional leaders, or administrators can feel confident guiding staff through the why, how, and what of Calm Corners. The guide includes prompts for discussion, tips for encouraging collaboration, and suggestions for highlighting key takeaways. Whether you’re leading a full staff PD
K - 5th
Classroom Community, School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Also included in: The Calm Corner Bundle: Creating SEL Supported Calm Corners
SEL 101 Presentation: Understanding SEL in Today's Classroom
This updated version of my SEL 101 professional learning session is designed with teachers and school staff in mind. It’s full of practical strategies, updated research, and fresh resources—all with the goal of making SEL feel doable, relevant, and connected to what teachers already do every day. I created this session to support educators who care deeply about student success and their own well-being. SEL isn’t about adding one more thing to your schedule—it’s about noticing the small, inten
Not Specific
School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
CCSS
SL.1.1
, SL.1.1a
, SL.1.1b
+95
Also included in: SEL 101 Bundle
Across the Desert SEL Activities | Emotional Regulation & Reflection | Free
Introducing CarouSEL Kits — Literature-Based SEL in Action!Our First FREE CarouSEL Kit Drop!Bring meaningful SEL reflection into your read-aloud or novel study with this free CarouSEL Kit sample for Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling. This resource introduces Theme 1: Emotional Load and includes three structured Treasure Ticket activities designed as pause points to help students: Recognize and name emotional loadVisualize how worries take up spacePractice letting go using healthy strategiesW
3rd - 9th
Classroom Community, Novel Studies, Social Emotional Learning
SEL 101 Facilitator's Guide (Updated)
SEL 101: Facilitator’s Guide (Updated Edition)This facilitator’s guide is designed to support teachers, counselors, coaches, and school leaders in delivering the SEL 101 professional learning session. Unlike a lesson plan that tells you what to teach, this guide is a behind-the-scenes resource that helps you confidently facilitate learning for adults. The guide aligns directly with the SEL 101 slide deck and includes: Talking Points – concise, teacher-friendly language to highlight on each s
Not Specific
School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Also included in: SEL 101 Bundle
Your College Application Guide
This infographic delivers a comprehensive 5-part guidance approach to college applications, emphasizing self-awareness for optimal post-secondary planning. The bundled package includes lessons on: Personal Values, Researching Colleges, Organizational Tools and Tips, Financial Aid support, and Decision Making. This holistic approach ensures that students are well-equipped with self-awareness, research skills, organizational tools, financial knowledge, and decision-making capabilities as they nav
11th - 12th
School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
SEL 101 Infographic (FREE)
This infographic is a quick, clear way to help teachers and staff see the heart of SEL without adding more to an already full plate. On one side, it names what SEL really is—practical, standards-based, relational, and built right into everyday routines. On the other, it clears up the biggest misconceptions—SEL isn’t therapy, a scripted program, or “one more thing” to manage. Use it as a handout, poster, or discussion starter in PD sessions, staff meetings, or even posted in shared spaces. It’
Not Specific
School Counseling, Social Emotional Learning
Also included in: SEL 101 Bundle
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About the store
Experience
I’m a National Certified Counselor and licensed school counselor with 20+ years of experience across elementary, high school, and alternative education. Most of my career has been in alternative settings, where I’ve seen firsthand how classrooms can become places of healing, hope, and growth.
Over the years, I’ve learned that social-emotional growth works best when it’s not an “extra,” but woven into how we teach, learn, and connect every day. My approach blends human-centered counseling with meaningful academic connections, using real-life moments and story-based lessons to build self-awareness, resilience, and authentic growth.
Working directly in classrooms, I’ve seen SEL emerge in the smallest ways — a student managing time, a peer conflict inviting empathy, or a missed assignment sparking reflection. These moments happen all day long, but teachers — while deeply invested — are often juggling content, time, and expectations, leaving little room to pause and build on them.
CarouSEL Kits grew out of this experience. They help uncover the SEL opportunities already embedded in the texts teachers use. Each Treasure Ticket highlights a point in the story — and in the classroom — where students can explore skills like emotional regulation, self-talk, boundary-setting, or peer support. These tools make SEL integration feel natural, doable, and impactful for educators and students alike.
Teaching style
I believe SEL works best when it’s part of everyday teaching, not an extra task on the list. My resources help teachers weave social-emotional growth into the lessons and books they’re already using, so it feels natural and manageable.
CarouSEL Kits are designed for real classrooms — quick to prep, easy to follow, and flexible enough to fit different teaching styles. Each Treasure Ticket guides students to pause, reflect, and build skills like empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, all while staying connected to the story at hand.
My goal is to make SEL feel less like “one more thing” and more like an ongoing part of classroom life — simple, authentic, and impactful.
Additional biographical information
Much of my work has been shaped by years in alternative education, working with students who often faced challenges beyond academics. Those experiences reinforced for me that emotional safety isn’t optional — it’s the foundation for learning. And emotional safety doesn’t mean avoiding hard things. It means that when something comes up, we stop, acknowledge it, and talk about it. We can’t always fix it, but we can be honest, real, and keep learning together.
I designed CarouSEL Kits to capture those moments in books — the places where I, as a counselor, would pause and say, “That’s real. Have you felt that way? Does it connect to you? How would you handle that?” These pauses help build the trust that’s essential in education. Even if a teacher hasn’t experienced something personally, stories give us a shared place to explore it. Whether the experience is from a student in the room or a fictional character, those conversations shape how we see the world and how we grow together.
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