Teachers and Stress Podcast

Teachers Can Beat Stress

Here is a podcast - Listen as you drive to work or get a quiet moment.  Learn to recharge. 


Use this podcast to

* help a teacher
* get ideas to help others with stress
* learn more about causes, symptoms and ways to relieve stress
* share with others in your community, school, or practice 

Use this one tip to help your students get organized

Use this one game to teach students 

the importance of being organized.  

 

So many of our students struggle to get organized.  Some of them get organized with their supplies, pencils, papers, and then find they have to get organized all over again in about a week.  Why is this?  One reason is because getting organized is often thought of as a waste of time.  Why should I spend an hour organizing my stuff, book bag, locker, papers, etc when it will get all messy again.  I could be doing the work that really matters like writing that essay or completing my project due next Tuesday. 

The key is to teach students that getting organized and keeping things organized will actually same time!  We can get them to see that they will not only save time but they could even have time left over to do other things!  

Everyone loves games because they are visual, auditory, and hands-on.

This concept can easily be taught with a game - Perfection! by Hasbro.  I use this in small groups and in individual counseling.  You will see a BIG AHAA moment on the faces of your students.  This happens over and over when you use the technique described in the video clip below. 

The game has a timer and depending on the version of the game, there are 9, 16 or 25 pieces to fit in slots of the same size and shape within a short period of time.  

I have used all the different versions of this game with students.  

Teach students the importance of organization with a game. 

In this video, an eighth grade student is playing the 9 piece game for the first time.  I reduced the time by half because I want to bring home the point - that you will save time by being organized.  If you organize yourself and supplies before a project or homework you will actually spend less time on the actual project or homework and get it done in less time.  You will see in this video clip that when the timer goes off, this student jumps out of her skin and scares me half to death!  We left this in the video because it was a genuine and spontaneous response.  This is exactly how my students feel and react when they play the game to learn the concept of organization.  

Get the Ah-haa moment with your students.

Play this game to teach this concept to your students. 

It is creative, engaging and fun!

I have used this techniques with all ages including adults!  Help your parents to see that getting organized is not a waste of time.  When you help your parents, you help your students. 

 

Creative Play Therapy for School

Use play therapy techniques to teach counseling strategies: anger control, stress management, study and organizational skills, making friends, deflating bullies, making decisions and more.  Use everyday, familiar games.  No worksheets to reproduce.  It is auditory, visual, and hands-on!

counselorgames.com

Think, think, think...they are starting to get it!

Help!  I was not organized this morning and now I am late for the bus!

Everyone loves games.

Red Ribbon Week: How Did it Start?

How did Red Ribbon Week start?  It started with a true life story about a federal agent named Kiki Camarena.  He had a passion to end substance abuse and crime in the USA.  Read his story here.  Copy and paste and share this story with your students during Red Ribbon Week as long as you give credit to the author.   The questions at the end of the story help teachers to tie this into multiple subject areas.  

The Meaning of Red Ribbon Week

                When Kiki Camarena was young, he decided to join the Marines.  After serving his country as a Marine, he joined the police force.  His career brought him further when he next joined the Drug Enforcement Agency as an agent for the government of the United States.  He felt this was the best thing to do because he truly cared about helping people and stopping drugs.  His mother was very concerned about Kiki’s career path and the dangers of his job.  She tried to talk him out of it.  Kiki told his mother that in his heart he could not quit his work.  He said, “I’m only one person, but I want to make a difference.” 

            In 1985, the DEA sent Kiki to work undercover in Mexico.  For weeks he lived among the drug cartel and gathered information and evidence.  He was ready to wrap up his assignment when the drug dealers figured out what he was up to.  They discovered his identity.  He was kidnapped and tortured to death. 

            People that knew Kiki felt sorrow when they learned of his death.  To honor his memory, friends and neighbors wore red badges of satin.  They wanted to continue Kiki’s work against illegal drugs.  Parents who worked together in local coalitions to fight against the drug problem made Kiki their model.  They embraced his belief that one person could make a difference.  They adopted the symbol of the red ribbon as their own. 

            From this grass roots beginning grew Red Ribbon Week.  This is held the last week of October nationwide.  In Jacksonville, Florida we campaign against drugs and work hard to warn children and students in school about the dangers and effects of drug use.  When you see red ribbons around Jacksonville and our country, we hope you will remember the story of Kiki and others like him who work hard to “Say No to Drugs.” 

By Grace Wilhelm

counselorgames.com

1.  What is the DEA?
2. How and why was Kiki murdered?
3. What did Kiki tell his mother about why he wanted to work against drugs?
4. What does working undercover mean in the second paragraph? 
5. What does the phrase “wrap up his assignment” mean in the second paragraph?
6. Write two sentences to describe the career path of Kiki Camarena.  Tell what jobs he held after high school and why he chose those jobs. 
7. What is a coalition?  (in the third paragraph)
8. What will you now think of when you see a red ribbon?
9. Do you think it is important to say “no” to drugs?  Tell why or why not. 
10. Where is Mexico?
11. What are some ill effects of drugs on your body? 

The Meaning of Red Ribbon Week

Answer Key

Language Arts

1.      Abbreviations – Drug Enforcement Agency

2.      Recall – Kiki was kidnapped and tortured because drug dealer discovered he was working for the police

3.      Recall – Kiki told his mother he wanted to make a difference

4.      Idiom – in secret, using a different identity

5.      Idiom – to finish it

6.      Sequence - Marines – to serve his country, Police Force, and DEA – to help people and to stop drugs

7.      Vocabulary – special groups that work together for a reason

8.      Inference – different student responses

Blood that Kiki shed, the story of Kiki, to say no to drugs

9.       Opinion – different written responses with a reason

Geography

10.   Mexico is our neighbor on the southern border of the United States.

Science

11.  Headaches, loss of esteem, loss of weight, diseases, cancer, blood problems, stomach aches, sweating, loss of memory, inability to concentrate, loss of sleep or cannot wake up, coma, death

 

             Grace Wilhelm, M.A. 
             counselorgames.com

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How to get kids to talk, open up, and tell you more

 How to Get Kids to Talk

How do I get kids to talk?
Why are they not telling me the whole story?
What is really going on with this one?

Have you ever struggled to get information or down to the root cause of an issue out of a young child or adolescent?  How do you get them to talk and share freely?  How do you get them to open up?  One way is to meet them in their environment - which is in the world of play.

Plato Recognized Play

Plato, an early philosopher (429-347 B.C.), recognized the importance of play among children.  He noted that “you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”  Play therapy is the use of games and play to help children prevent or resolve challenges. 

A parent can use a game or toy while talking to their child to help relieve stress or anxiety.  A counselor or therapist can rely on toys or games to help children to talk and share.  Children can act out behaviors or stories and use the toys or games to share events that are troubling.  Children can also use the toys to help tell about events that are difficult to put in words.  Games can give kids ideas to resolve problems, strengthen communication skills, and prevent further disruption.  

Everyone loves games!

Play is for all ages - ages 3 - 93.  Everyone loves games!  Everyone loves interaction with others.  Using a game and play therapy techniques make conversation creative, easy and FUN!  In today's world, kids get caught up in a video game world with no interaction using words or with humans.  When you get a student to interact with others with conversation, lights begin to go off!  Playing with others is fun!  Play helps to tell the story that is being held inside. 

Use Easy Classic Games

Counselor Games is a way to use everyday and familiar games to teach kids anger control, stress management, study and organizational skills, making friends, creating goals, decision making and more.  We show you how to  integrate counseling strategies into the games.  Counseling sessions become visual, auditory and kinesthetic/hands-on.  We give you video demonstrations using the games with the techniques so you can use them over and over.

Some examples include the following:

Use Don't Break the Ice for stress management.
Use Tumble for making friends.
Use playing cards to teach taking turns.
Use pick-up sticks to teach relationships and their dynamics.
Use Topple to teach about priorities.
Use Whack-a-mole to teach about goals.
Use Perfection to teach about the importance of being organized
and there is so much more!

Counselor Games is Play Therapy for Schools.  And it is not only for school; it is for home too.  It is important for parents to repeat and play the games at home to reinforce what is being learned.  It strengthens the communication between the adult and the child.   It is easy and fun!

Creative, Easy, FUN

If you are a parent who wants to find and use creative ways to get your kids to talk, this is for you.
If you are a school counselor who wants to use inexpensive, but familiar and fun games to enhance your counseling sessions, this is for you.
If you need a quick idea with little preparation to get big ideas across, this is for you!

Counselor Games has demonstrations of play therapy techniques using everyday games to help you teach strategies for stress management, anger control, making friends, study skills and more.  It is creative, easy and FUN!  We show you how.

Get your learning sessions here or find them at counselorgames.com.
Get your Play Therapy Workshop and learn how on your own time. 


Questions?  Contact Counselor Games  info @counselorgames.com  (take out the space after info)

More about Grace 

    Grace Wilhelm is a National Board Certified Counselor with experience in mental health and school counseling.  She enthusiastically presents to counselors, teachers, youth workers, and parents on anger, stress, crises intervention, communication, data, counseling programs, play sessions, and more.   She has been awarded ASCA National School Counselor of the

Year Semifinalist, RAMP, and FLDOE Parent Involvement Award.  Her publications include student workbooks on anger control and stress management and several articles.  She has also completed two DVDs on Games and Play to Enhance Counseling and Teaching Strategies: Creative Ways to Engage Students in Small Groups, Classrooms or Individual Counseling Sessions.
        Speaking engagements have taken Grace as far away as Papua New Guinea. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Mark and three children.  She enjoys traveling, genealogy and playing the violin.

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Fabulous Teacher Ideas for the New School Year 15-16

Oscar Staton

 Have You Heard of Teacher Talk Live?

Oscar Staton is the creator and host of a new teacher on-line show called Teacher Talk Live.  His website is Teachcow.com.  You can watch past shows on the website.  You can join him on twitter at #teachertalklive or @teachcow.  Oscar's interests have been in student achievement, filmmaking, social media and marketing.  He combines all of this at Teachcow and Teacher Talk Live!


Last week I participated as a guest panelist on "Get a Fresh Start".  This episode is about getting ready for the new school year.  Counselors are an enormous support to teachers to help them know their students before they arrive on the first day.  The panel discussion is lively and facilitated by Dr. Goins. 



 Click to view
                                                                                                                     
You may be interested in being a guest on the show.  Simply visit the website and complete the application for the topic/show you are interested in.  Counselors do great things for educators and students.  Reach higher now!


You can also join Counselor Games on FB where a daily quote is shared to help motivate and inspire students, faculty, and parents.  Be sure to "Like" and follow!
Counselor Games is Play Therapy for Schools. 

10 Reasons Kids Keep Abuse a Secret

      Summer is here and many of us are relaxing and getting refreshed before we go back into the trenches.  During some of our time off we seek professional development so we are armed and equipped for new challenges we will face. (because we love what we do and desire to do well)  We want to share the work of Ginger Kadlec who works tirelessly to inform educators and parents about sexual abuse.  Please take a few minutes to review why some children never tell trusted adults about the sexual abuse they are experiencing.    Consider showing this video to your faculty and staff and also use it during one of your parent informational nights. 

       As counselors and educators, we meet with students who keep many secrets and often we are the first person they trust enough to tell their secret and what is happening to them.  Sometimes they realize for the first time exactly what is happening to them and they look for the trusted adult.
But the sad truth is that some children never tell anyone what is going on and this video presentation by Ginger Kadlec explains why kids chose to keep their secret:

      Sadly, nearly 3/4 of all children who are sexually abused keep their abuse a secret for at least a year. Another 45% don’t tell anyone about their abuse for 5 years; still others never tell.
So, why do so many children keep abuse a secret? Here are 10 reasons children don’t disclose abuse.

Raising awareness of the world-wide epidemic of child abuse has become Ginger’s life mission. An impassioned child advocate, trainer, speaker and child forensic interviewer, Ginger regularly blogs about child protection issues and has produced printable references for parents and other caring adults including “10 Scary Apps”. Click here for your free copy of this informative 12-page report. Along with her husband John and pets Lexi and Chase, Ginger enjoys traveling, skiing, hiking, brisk mornings, colorful sunsets and just hangin’ at home with “the Pack”.


Find out more about Ginger and her work here: http://www.gingerkadlec.com

How to Help Kids Identify Angry Behavior

It is important to teach students that their behavior is noticed when they get angry.   When the external world and their internal world meet, or collide, will they be able to to manage their anger or will their anger manage them?  Use this article to help students:   How We Behave When We Get Angry       When the external world and the internal world of our feelings interact, the result is our behavior.  How we behave when we get angry determines whether the anger will fade or whether it will get worse.  There are two negative responses to anger.  The first negative response is withdrawal or avoidance.  The second negative response is hostility or aggression.       The first negative response is withdrawal or avoidance.  This is when a person does not actively deal with conflict and “goes away mad.”  The problem is not solved and the person may continue to think about it, get angry, and then eventually become depressed. Depression and the inability to deal with one’s problems results in low sense of personal worth, a sensitivity to unpleasant events, high self-criticism and a dealing of helplessness.  These are called the passive behaviors.       The second negative response to anger is hostility and aggression.  When we react too quickly and too intensely to feeling of anger, we become antagonistic.  This leads to more hostility which leads to more aggression.  Aggressive acts are often acts of impulse or desperation.  They may also be an attempt to overpower the other person.  These acts are called aggressive behaviors.      Did you know that there are also positive responses to anger?  When you manage your anger, you can make some good things happen because of the anger.  This is called anger management. Anger management is the utilization of assertive skills.  It is the result of self-awareness, self-confidence, and good communication skills.   First of all, you must learn to understand your own feelings.  This takes some thinking and self-instruction.  Feelings are linked to situations.  One way to understand what feelings are linked to certain situations is to keep a diary of things that happen to you and the feeling you have at that time.  Feelings are also linked to thoughts.  When you keep your journal or diary try to link the feelings you have to the thoughts you have.  Learn to view and think of the anger-producing incidents in an objective manner.  Try not to think of what is going on, or why, with a lot of opinions.  You must try to be objective.      You may find that sometimes your anger is unnecessary.  Unnecessary anger is often due to fatigue, pressure, conflict, and insecurity.             Second, you must try to understand the feelings of others.  Learn to understand things from the other person’s perspective to keep anger from becoming too intense.  Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.  Look at the situation from a different point of view.         Third, you must constantly instruct yourself to get composed and help deal with the situation.  This is self-instruction.  Learn to know what your body is telling you.     When you are tense because of a situation, you might get a headache or feel your muscles tighten.  You might feel your heart pound real hard or fast in your chest.  You may get sweaty hands or just sweat all over.  Your forehead may wrinkle and your eyebrows may become cross looking.  Some people start to breathe faster or heavier.  When these things happen, your body is releasing adrenalin.  These are signals of agitation and tension.  Your anger starts to build and so does the level of hostility you feel.  However, the anger will lessen as you start to solve the conflict.           Anger management also involves several ways you can learn to control yourself and take control of the situation before the situation takes control of you.  One way is to learn to relax.  Use relaxation techniques.  Anger is linked with tension.  You cannot be angry and relaxed at the same time.                    Another way to manage anger is to use humor.  Don’t take things to personally when they happen.  You can learn to see humor in things.             Anger is also managed by keeping it at a moderate level.  Use the arousal to be assertive rather than aggressive.  Communicate your angry feelings instead of acting on them.  When you feel anger, just say so and let the other person know what has made you angry.  If a person is doing something that stirs up the angry feelings in you, let him know how you are feeling with the right tone of voice and attitude.  Learn to communicate your anger in an appropriate way.  For example, it never will help in a situation if you scream or yell out your commands and demands.  You will only arouse anger in the other person you are dealing with.  You must learn to communicate your angry feelings in an effective and non-hostile way.           Communicating effectively is the most important skill in managing anger.  Good communication helps control the build-up of anger.  It prevents an aggressive over-reaction.  It also provides the opportunity to change the situation that has caused the anger.  An effective way to communicate is to use a power statement.   (see activity on power statements) Anger and Me is a workbook for students.  It includes articles about identifying anger and situations students and/or their friends may be a part of.  It is great for individual use or small groups.  It is reproducible, so make as many copies as you need.  It can be found on Amazon. Grace Wilhelm is a National Board Certified Counselor with over sixteen years  experience.  She enthusiastically presents to counselors, teachers, youth workers, and parents on anger, stress, crises intervention, communication, data, counseling programs, play sessions, and more. Find out more about Play Therapy for Schools at Counselor Games. Grace will be presenting at the ASCA Conference in Phoenix June 29 and 30.  The session title on Monday is: Play Therapy and Stress Management for Students.  Tuesday she will be contributing in the Data presentation.  Her part will be Parent Involvement.   Like Counselor Games on Facebook Subscribe to the Counselor Tribe.

  

4 Internal Factors of Anger that Affect Kids

 Anger can come from internal or external factors. 

People have different dispositions.  This means that some people are easy-going and carefree, while others feel stressed out by little things.  Besides having different dispositions, people also have different ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.  Some of these ways have been learned since they were a baby.  They are learned both individually and culturally.  These internal factors affect how a person deals with anger.

Some internal factors contribute to anger

1.  Poor Thinking.  Having bad thoughts and high expectations are examples of poor thinking.  Another example is talking bad about yourself.  Self-talk is when we talk to ourselves.  Everyone does this and it is very normal.  However, it is not normal or healthy to use negative self-talk.  This happens when we say, “I am so stupid.”  “If I did it this way, that would not have happened.”  “What a jerk I am.”  “Who could ever like me?”  “No one cares about me.”  Sometimes we say these things so much that we start to believe them, even though at the beginning when we started to say them we knew they were not true.

2.      Personal Appraisal.  When something is very important to us it has a high value or appraisal.  Another way to appraise things highly is by taking too personally what happens to us.  We may feel bad or get angry about a referral we received at school, but losing sleep because of a poor decision is caused by high appraisal or wanting to be perfect.

3.      Tension.  Tension is accumulated stress.  When a lot of stress builds up in our life, we need to find a way to release the stress.  Stress that is not released causes anger.

4.      Ill humor.  Being moody, cross, or crabby gets us in the mood for anger.

What are some external causes of anger?

Name some internal factors of anger:

Join the Counselor Tribe at counselorgames.com  Be a part of the Counselor Tribe to help me with feedback and suggestions for my new book: Play Therapy for Schools.   I need your help!  

Simply join the mailing list at the website.  

Need more help with anger for your students.   Check out Anger and Me, a workbook for kids on anger control and management.  It is reproducible, so make as many copies as you need!

 Anger and Me

Questions?  Suggestions?  Contact me: grace@counselorgames.com