Information from the IPEN Workshop. Download the powerpoint here. Quick overview of our Curriculum connected with ASCA standards here: CounselingLinkGroupCurriculum.

Counseling Core

• Start with 3 good things.
• Debrief Assessment (which you assigned previously)
• Reflect on strength use
• Assign follow up task

Strengths Development

• Name your strengths. Take an assessment
• Claim your strengths–see below for curriculum ideas
• Frame Your strengths: Leverage your strengths in new ways (see below)

Career Development

The Purpose of Career Development in high school is NOT to forclose on a specific career, but rather explor possibilities. What we teach should be the meta skills of career development that they can come back to again and again. Some key ideas:

The High Five of Career Development

1. Change is Constant
2. Stay Learning
3. Focus on the journey
4. Follow your heart
5. Be an ally
6. Bonus: Believe in yourself

Be sure to read Richard Bolle’s The Seven Rules To Keep in Mind About Taking Career Tests

And the most interesting Career Development Guide on the net. Not really written for high schoolers, but still worth a look.

Grade 9

• VIA Character Strengths–set up your own pro account for free.
• Strengths Explorer–Free in Naviance. You can purchase direct from Gallup. You can read my review here.
• Counseling Core 1:
  • 3 good things: 2 from summer, one from last school year.
    • Which of your strengths did you use?
  • Strengths Compass–Click here
  • Task: Do the Strengths Explorer–Click here
• Counseling Core 2:
  • 3 good things:
  • Flow–Click here
  • StrengthsExplorer–Click here
  • Strengths Based Resume–Click here
  • Task: Update your resume
• Counseling Core 3:
  • 3 good things:
  • Course selection and Life Balance
• Counseling Core 4:
  • 3 good things:
  • What Went Well–the year in review
  • Summer Task
    • Cluster Finder–Free Version here.

Grade 10

• Counseling Core 1:
  • 3 good things: 2 from summer, one from last school year.
    • Which of your strengths did you use?
  • Game:
    • Career Game: Purchase “Who Am I” from York University
    • Cluster Finder–Free Version here.–debrief what they discovered
  • Task: Update your Resume
• Counseling Core 2:
  • 3 good things:
  • Continue the game
    • What’s your Sentence/Mission Statement–See Here
• Counseling Core 3:
  • 3 good things:
  • Course selection and Life Balance
• Counseling Core 4:
  • Student Parent interview: College Capital
  • Summer Task:
    • Myers Briggs Type Inventory–Use free version from 16 Personalities
    • Career Interest Profiler–FRee Version here

Grade 11

• Myers Briggs Type Inventory–Use free version from 16 Personalities
• Career Interest Profiler–Free Version here

• Counseling Core 1:
  • 3 good things: 2 from summer, one from last school year.
    • Which of your strengths did you use?
  • Unpacking the MBTI –Use free version from 16 Personalities
  • Stress management–The Shadow side and strength overuse.
  • Introduction to mindfulness. Here are mindful practices suggestion based on personality type.

• Counseling Core 2:
  • 3 good things: 2 from summer, one from last school year.
    • Which of your strengths did you use?
  • Unpacking the MBTI –Use free version from 16 Personalities: focus on learning needs and college and career Satisifiers.
  • Assign College Research assignment

• Counseling Core 3:
  • 3 good things:
  • Debrief what they learned from the College Research assignment
  • Review College Search Tools
• Junior Interview
  • Strengths based interview and goal setting with student and both parents
  • Summer Task:
    • Update your strengths based resume
    • Write a self Letter of recommendation
    • Draft of College Essay/Personal statement

Grade 12

• Counseling Core 1:
  • 3 good things: 2 from summer, one from last school year.
    • Which of your strengths did you use?
  • Unpacking Colleges that are calling to them–stay true to your North Star (IE your signature strengths):
    • Sharing circle: Name the college
      • One thing you like about it
      • One thing that surprised you
      • How will it feed one of your strengths

Working one on one

Much of a school  counselor job invovles working one on one with the student. Again, the backbone for these conversation involves character strengths. Listen for their strengths as they talk with you–Strengthsspotting is a key skill.

And more specifically in counseling:

Ideas and inspiration for curriculum utalizing positive psychology:

• Wellington School’s Scope and Sequence of their curriculum–unfortunately, they have removed the curriculum, but you can figure out what they were doing.
• Positive Education resources from Chinese International School.
• St. Peter’s College in Australia offers up their curriculum
• Geelong Grammar School has a comprehensive positive education site that only lacks in specifics of their curriculum.
• Greater Good Society’s website is a go to for news, videos and more. Often overlooked is the more practical Greater Good in Action which curates specific activities.
• The Penn Resilience Program for Middle school–sort of the grandmother of positive education movement–is online, including a brief description of each lesson.
• Corstone may inspire with some of their shared research in their toolkit. For example, check out their Girl’s First Program.
• Check out and join the Character Day movement–they also offer specific curriculum.
• Happy, the Movie and Disucssion Guide for MIddle/High Schoolers and for College Students.
• Character.org offers a database of lesson plans.