School Counselor Blog

I received a question about movies and books that illustrate topics and concepts pertinent to working with "at-risk" youth. The movies below also have themes related to the importance of relationship, hope, and resiliency. Q: Do you have a category of current or relatively current favorite movies or book titles that address concepts or topics pertinent to working with at-risk youth? I want to be able to illustrate the importance of relationship, hope, and resiliency for a class I am teaching. Any ideas you have would be greatly and deeply appreciated.  A:   This question is a tall order! The main focus of this post is to showcase movies with themes related to relationship, hope, and resiliency with a focus on "at-risk" youth. However, I have mentioned some books that meet the above criteria.  The following movies are 10 of my favorites.  Some of them you can even watch instantly on Amazon Video On Demand. 1. Freedom Writers Themes: abuse/neglect, d...

I wanted to share a poem that our district's Homelessness Coalition shared with the counselors and social workers. I have it hanging on the wall in my office.  For more information about homelessness and resources visit the Pennsylvania Homeless Children's Initiative website. 7 Hours of Sanity by Russell Valentini 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place with heat, water and light, And somewhere to rest after a sleepless night. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place I can get two meals to eat, And every day I attend, I have the same seat. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place to get a band-aid from the nurse, And maybe antiseptic so it doesn’t get worse. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place I can jump rope and play basketball, And see the gym teacher who is six foot tall. 7 hours of sanity, That’s what the school day means to me, A place...