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Course Title | Oxygen Mask Ed: Self Care for School Counselors |
Course Number | ISCA 503 |
Course Overview | Join us for four two-hour sessions, where Lindsay Kehl and Kirsten Pontius will create space for School Counselors to learn and talk about their own self care, as well as tactics to use in schools for student well-being (it’s not just bubble baths and yoga classes). Concentrating on the topics of self-care practices, burnout, boundaries, and self-compassion, Lindsay and Kirsten will guide you through reflection and conversations that will support a better understanding and experience around taking care of yourself in a field where it’s often a challenge to turn attention inward. Counselors who complete this ISCA Academy course will not only refocus and reflect on their own practices, but will be able to bring what they have learned to their schools and community to join in the effort of creating and maintaining a culture where self care, checking in, and creating and maintaining boundaries is seen as a normal part of day to day life for all. |
ASCA Ethical Standards B.3. Responsibilities to Self b. Maintain membership in school counselor professional organizations to stay up to date on current research and to maintain professional competence in current school counseling issues and topics. School counselors maintain competence in their skills by utilizing current interventions and best practices. f. Monitor their emotional and physical health and practice wellness to ensure optimal professional effectiveness. School counselors seek physical or mental health support when needed to ensure professional competence. g. Monitor personal behaviors and recognize the high standard of care a professional in this critical position of trust must maintain on and off the job. School counselors are cognizant of and refrain from activity that may diminish their effectiveness within the school community. h. Seek consultation and supervision from school counselors and other professionals who are knowledgeable of school counselors’ ethical practices when ethical and professional questions arise. C. SCHOOL COUNSELOR ADMINISTRATORS/SUPERVISORS d. Providing opportunities for professional development in current research related to school counseling practice and ethics. ASCA Professional Standards and Competencies B-PF 4. Apply school counseling professional standards and competencies a. Stay current with school counseling research and best practices b. Conduct and analyze self-appraisal and assessment related to school counseling professional standards and competencies c. Use personal reflection, consultation and supervision to promote professional growth and development d. Develop a yearly professional development plan to ensure engagement in professional growth opportunities related to relevant professional standards and competencies and personal limitations B-PF 7. Demonstrate leadership through the development and implementation of a school counseling program i. Participate in the school improvement process to bring the school counseling perspective to the development of school goals B-PF 8. Demonstrate advocacy for a school counseling program g. Participate in school counseling and education-related professional organizations. |
Intended Audience | This course has been created for School Counselors and Educators of any level. We’ve built the course so that the audience can self-reflect, and then bring the tools and ideas into their school to further support their community. |
Essential Questions | How can I be helpful to others if I’m not feeling well and balanced myself? How can I ensure that I prioritize my own health and wellbeing with the workload and demand I have? How can I bring my learning to further support and help my community? |
Knowledge | Skills |
Participants will have knowledge about: | Participants will be able to: |
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About the Facilitator |
Kirsten Pontius is a Certified Integrative Nutrition and Health Coach, and Wellness Consultant. She has training in behavioral science from Yale’s School School of Public Health. She is a yoga instructor, and trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction. She works with international communities through schools, embassies and organizations to support well-being both for individuals, and within the workplace and expat communities through her business www.kirstenpontius.com. She works across the globe, and has lived in Japan, The Republic of Georgia, Cambodia, Romania, and this summer will begin to call Cote d'Ivoire home. Her love of pinochle is directly related to whether or not she plays with Lindsay, and she’s a lover of forest bathing, MN lake time and travel! |
Lindsay Kehl is a licensed School Counselor. She is currently working as a School Counselor in her home state of Minnesota. She has been an international School Counselor for the last 12 years in Romania, India, Zambia, and Panama. She also has experience in Higher Education, as well as English language teaching in Japan, and working at a nonprofit mentoring organization. In her free time, she likes playing pinochle with Kirsten (and talking about health and wellness topics too!), reading books by Louise Erdrich, and being on a pontoon at her cabin in Northern Minnesota. Dates and times of offerings |
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Contact hours | 8-hour course (over four sessions) Session #1 Why Self-Care: What does it look like, how can we find the space for it? Session #2: Burnout: What to Look for and What to Do About it. Session #3: Boundaries (and Resilience): How to shift from Burnout to Boundaries that work. Session #4: Self-love and Self-Compassion: How to create routine and automation in how we love ourselves. |
Time commitment between sessions | 30 minutes of reflection between sessions. |
Required Resource(s) | A journal, notebook, or diary. A calendar or planner may also be helpful. |
References | Nagoski, E., & Nagoski, A. (2019) Burnout: the secret to unlocking the stress cycle. Amit Sood MD., & Mayo Clinic (2015) The Mayo Clinic Handbook for Happiness: A Four-Step Plan for Resilient Living |