My counselor must have's

You may be new to counseling or be a veteran counselor but there are just some things that we insist on having and without them we may feel completely lost in our counselor world.  Here are a few counselor things that I just can't see to function without:

-A counselor bag: I use my bags for everything: when I do my monthly classroom visits, go to meetings, have a bunch of stuff to carry.  I try to pack my bag the day before I go to the class so that way everything's already in place, all I have to do is pick up my bag and go!  I got these Thirty-one bags from a co-worker a few years ago who was selling them and even got a free one after a order mix up (the counselor intern uses the 2nd bag).  I love the pockets and compartments, they have been lifesavers for me.  Blogger buddy Danielle from The School Counselor Blog sells Thirty-One bags.  To order a bag from Danielle click here. 

Counselor bags from Thirty-One

-A door sign:  We're always on the go and sometimes students, parents or staff are looking for us. I'll have a post on making an easy door sign coming soon.

-Games:  Students love playing games and not to mention it's another way to re-live childhood memories for me (I loved board games as a child).  Games that are very popular with my students are Uno, Jenga, Checkers, Mancala & Perfection.

Game bin (bin from Ikea)

-Arts/Crafts Materials:  What counselor can't function without a good supply of paper, glue, markers, crayons and other craft goodies?  I try to keep all of my counselor craft supplies in a bin so that it's easier for students to find.

Crayons, colored pencils & markers separated into plastic bags

Arts & crafts supplies in a bin (purchased from Target)

Arts & crafts bin

-3M Hooks:  Who knew that these hooks would be a counselor staple?  I use them all the time to store and organize things in my office.  If you already have hooks, 3M now sells just the replacement mounting tape so you can reuse your hooks over and over again.

-Books:  are great for so many things: class visits, small groups, for students and parents to check out.  I have a multitude of books of counselor books and am constantly adding to my collection.  I would suggest that if keep a list of the books that you have so that you're aware of what you already have.  I also recommend that you make a counselor book wish list to keep of books that you would like to have in the future.

Keeping an inventory of my counselor books

-Kimochis:  My favorite cute feelings friends.  My students LOVE these and they are great conversation starters on how students are feeling.  Many students have "multiple feelings" with these fun toys.  I have several sets and also have a mini set for parents to check out and use at home (they are machine washable just in case you're wondering).

Kimochis

Mini Kimochis

-iPad & iPad VGA Adapter:  This falls on my counselor tech list, but this combo is great to have.  You can do so much with an iPad in your school counselor program!  The VGA adapter is the perfect addition to take your iPad to another level by connecting to a LCD projector, SMART or Promethan boards.

iPad & VGA adapter

Depending on your school you may be able to make a counselor wish list for parents to donate items to you. At my school teachers get tons of supply donations from parents and they give me extras (tissues, wipes, ziplock bags, school supplies, hand sanitizer) so that's another way to get supplies.


What are your counselor must haves?