ISCA & Linden Consultation Circles: What Six Years Have Taught Me About Community and Everyday Practice in International Schools

school system, and the emotional work of being an anchor to the school. Counselors are frequently among the first people called when something difficult happens, and rightfully so. Yet the time counselors need for their own reflection and professional processing is often the first thing removed from their schedule because other priorities feel more urgent. The needs of others are, often, prioritized.

Over the years, I have seen counselors arrive carrying questions about students they feel stuck with, concerns about leadership dynamics, uncertainty around program implementation, or exhaustion from ongoing crisis response. What consistently stands out is that participants rarely leave with the same feeling they arrived with.They leave reminded that they are part of a wider professional community that understands the unique context of international schools, along with practical next steps and tools to try out exploring. 

At their core, consultation circles are structured peer reflection groups. They bring practitioners together to think collaboratively about professional dilemmas, student support, systems challenges, ethical tensions, and the realities of practice in international schools. They combine professional grounding and shared understanding, with practical problem-solving, leaning on what works from experience. 

They are also spaces for zooming out, gaining perspective, as our discussions are deeply connected to the vision of comprehensive international school counseling outlined in the ISCA International Model and the ISCA Student Standards. These frameworks emphasize counseling programs that are preventative, developmentally aligned, responsive, and culturally attuned to the realities of international schools. 

International school counselors often work in settings where they may be the only person in their role, or where colleagues rotate frequently between schools and countries. Reflective practice can easily become something counselors do alone, informally, or only when time allows. Regular, ongoing, already in the schedule consultation intentionally creates space for what we know is best practice for helping professionals. Indeed, research on peer supervision and consultation for school counselors consistently identifies benefits such as increased self-efficacy, stronger professional competence, ethical reflection, and reduced professional isolation. 

This may be a good moment to share how counselor consultation differs from counseling supervision. While there is overlap, the purposes are distinct. Counseling supervision is a formal professional relationship in which a more experienced practitioner provides oversight, guidance, and accountability, and importantly, carries a degree of professional and ethical responsibility for the supervisee’s clinical decisions and development over time. It is often both evaluative and supportive, attending to casework, competence, and the supervisee’s growth as a practitioner. Consultation circles are by nature more collaborative. Thinking alongside colleagues who understand the complexity of international school practice and can offer perspective, challenge assumptions, share experience, and help widen possible responses. The Linden and ISCA consultation circles are unique as they combine collegially collaborative consultation with clinical expert advice and input from the facilitator, therefore maximizing this time for professional development and the opportunity to learn from peers in real time.

One of the tensions many counselors experience is the pull between immediate responsiveness and long-term preventative work. Navigating urgent student needs while also trying to build comprehensive programs that promote wellbeing, belonging, resilience, and healthy development is, well, A LOT. Consultation circles help practitioners have reflective dialogues about these tensions, talk about their time management and what actually works for them, share resources, discuss professional development opportunities, explore ways of navigating professional conversations with leadership, and support one another in sustaining ethical and manageable practice.

One of the aspects I value most is that participants are able to offer genuine care and encouragement while still maintaining perspective. Unlike colleagues embedded directly within the same school system, circle members are not entangled in the immediate politics or pressures of a particular workplace. That distance almost always creates space for honesty, curiosity, and thoughtful reflection that is difficult to access internally.

Over time, I have also noticed how the community extends beyond the sessions themselves. Counselors continue exchanging resources, checking in with one another, and maintaining professional relationships long after a term concludes. The circles become a beautiful part of a wider professional network.

After six years of leading these circles, I continue to leave sessions feeling grateful for the community they create.I consistently find myself learning from the collective wisdom in the virtual room. I often leave energized, even if the topic discussed is unsettling to say the least. Witnessing counselors support one another with honesty, generosity, and care across countries, cultures, and school systems simply fills me with hope. 

Counselors interested in learning more about the consultation circles can find additional information through ISCA Consultation Circles.