School Counselor Blog

A great option to still get top notch professional development and connect with other school counselors across the country is to attend the ASCA Virtual Conference! Below I share tips that Andrea Burston (@jyjcounselor) and I compiled to help you optimize your ASCA virtual conference experience. Make a Schedule Familiarize yourself with the conference schedule and determine what sessions you want to attend. Use the virtual event platform to add sessions to your schedule. Be aware of the conference time zone when planning to attend live sessions. For example, the 2025 ASCA Conference is in Long Beach, CA so the time is Pacific Time. Here's a link of all the 2025 ASCA Virtual Conference sessions:  https://bit.ly/asca25virtual . ..But Be Flexible Don't be hard on yourself if you can't attend live sessions. One major perk of attending the ASCA Virtual Conference is that you have access to all the virtual sessions through October 15, 2025. Get Organized Make a plan for recording...

Heading to a professional school conference soon? Whether you're a seasoned pro or a first-time attendee, having the right items in your conference bag can make or break your experience. From essential gadgets to must-have comfort items, being prepared ensures you can focus on networking, learning, and having a blast without any unnecessary stress. Below I will walk you through everything I packed in my conference bag when attending the ASCA National Conference in Kansas City, MO. My hope is that this post will give you some practical ideas of what to pack so you can be prepared for your next professional conference.  Let's dive in to my conference bag! I linked specific items, when available, in the Travel Section of my Amazon Store . 😋 Snacks - I like to pack a few snacks in my conference bag to keep me from getting hangry! I have some Chomps, Barbells & Fruit Bars from Trader Joe’s. 🛍️ Tote Bag- I love this Compakt fold-up tote bag by Calpak. I pack it with me in cas...

I’m still #FiredUp from the ASCA Conference in Kansas City, MO! During the ASCA Conference, I presented two sessions, attended inspiring presentations, and connected with school counselors from across the country. I also made sure to carve out some time for fun! Here are some highlights from my ASCA Conference experience this year.  Presenting at #ASCA24 Market Your School Counseling Program On Day 1 of the ASCA National Conference I presented “Market Your School Counseling Program.” During my presentation I shared ways to market your school counseling program to educational partners. Anytime I present my goal is to share real-life examples and practical resources that you can begin using right away.  I am so glad Angela Avery was able to capture some pictures during my presentation. One of the main points I try to get across during my presentation is that marketing your program is professional advocacy. When school counselors share about their school counseling program, it’s ...

Four years ago today I was on my way to my first American School Counselor Association Conference in Seattle, Washington . I had no idea what to expect and I definitely did not realize how this single experience would significantly change my life. I went on to attend the ASCA conference each year since my first time - #ASCA12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota , #ASCA13 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and #ASCA14 in Orlando, Florida - a total of four times so far. I have so many great memories of from past ASCA Conferences. This year, I will not be traveling to the ASCA Conference because we are awaiting the birth of our first child. Although I am sad I will not be attending and being around so many amazing school counselors in person, I feel fortunate that we have such a powerful school counseling presence online, via Twitter and other social media sites, that we can connect virtually, even if we are not able to attend the conference. Below I share some tips for attending your first ASC...

It is hard to express in words exactly how much fun I had with Tennessee School Counselors at the Tennessee Counseling Association Conference! I presented Technology Round-Up  at the TCA Pre-Conference on Saturday, November 23, 2013. It was so much fun to present to a room full of excited and eager participants! Tennessee School Counselors came ready to share great ideas! During my presentation I shared a variety of different technology tools and explained how they could be utilized. I also encouraged participants to share ways they could use the tools in their own work. School counselors shared lots of excellent ideas and proved that when school counselors share ideas, everyone wins! Below I shared this amazing document from the presentation with you. It is a WEALTH of information and has some ideas that were discussed during the presentation intermixed with the technology. During my trip I got to spend a lot of time with TSCA leadership.  They showed me amazing ...