255. Starting an Attendance Committee with Elissa Hughes
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Release Date: 07/01/2025
275. Behind the Scenes of Successful Individual Counseling Sessions
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on what really makes individual counseling sessions effective, engaging, and purposeful. If you’ve ever felt unsure about what to do in these sessions or overwhelmed by how to track student progress, this episode is packed with practical, ready-to-use strategies. Individual counseling is an important Tier 3 support that allows you to provide targeted, personalized intervention. With the right tools and structure, these sessions can feel manageable and meaningful. Why Individual Counseling...
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274. Behind the Scenes of Successful Small Groups
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of successful small groups and sharing how to set them up for success. We’ll talk about how to engage your students, keep sessions organized, and measure their progress with ease. Small groups are a key Tier 2 intervention and an important part of a layered approach to student support. In this episode, you’ll learn everything you need to know to start and lead small groups with confidence. How to Set Up Counseling Groups Identify students using referrals, previous counseling data,...
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273. Behind the Scenes of Successful Class Lessons
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Today we are going behind the scenes to talk about how to create engaging class lessons that keep students interested and make your counseling program run smoothly all year long. 1. How to Map Out Lessons for the Year Start by looking at your school calendar and noting upcoming dates, themes, and holidays. For example, October is Bullying Prevention Month, which is a great time to plan related lessons. Review your referral data and needs assessment responses to identify key areas of focus. Check what curriculum your school...
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272. ICYMI Proactive Bullying Prevention: Teaching Self-Advocacy
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout October, we have been exploring practical bullying prevention strategies, and today we are wrapping up the series with a focus on teaching self-advocacy. While this may seem like a more reactive approach, it is an essential skill that helps students navigate challenges with confidence. In this episode, we explore three simple ways to help students learn to advocate for themselves and others: Practice Scripts Provide students with sample scripts they can use in real-life situations. Watch short videos together, then...
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271. ICYMI Proactive Bullying Prevention: Friendship Skills
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! October is Bullying Prevention Month, and throughout the month I’ll be sharing some replays of our best episodes focused on strategies to prevent bullying in schools. In today’s episode, we’re diving into friendship skills — an essential foundation for creating a kind, connected, and inclusive school culture. I’ll be sharing ideas you can use at every level: schoolwide, classroom, small group, and individual. Schoolwide Strategies Buddy Bench (Elementary Level): Transform an existing bench at recess into a “Buddy...
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270. ICYMI Proactive Bullying Prevention: Conflict Resolution Strategies
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to School Counseling Simplified. Since October is Bullying Prevention Month, this episode focuses on practical conflict resolution strategies you can use at the schoolwide, classroom, and small group levels. If you have not listened to last week’s episode on restorative circles, start there for helpful background on resolution circles and community-based approaches. Today we build on that foundation with tangible tools you can use right away to help students resolve, forgive, and repair relationships. What you will learn in this episode How to use classroom-based activities to...
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269. ICYMI Proactive Bullying Prevention: Creating a Culture of Kindness
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Since October is Bullying Prevention Month, I will be highlighting some of our best podcast episodes all about bullying prevention strategies. Today, we are diving into practical ways to create a culture of kindness in schools. Promoting kindness is one of the most effective ways to reduce bullying. In this episode, I share strategies that teachers and counselors can use to set a positive tone, build empathy, and encourage collaboration. Morning meetings are a simple yet powerful practice that helps students begin their day...
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268. Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Counseling Lessons
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout September, we have been diving deep into classroom lessons. I love using them as tier 1 interventions, and so far we have talked about how to plan, schedule, teach, and manage behaviors during lessons. Today, we are shifting the focus to data and exploring how to measure the success of your classroom counseling lessons. Often, counselors rely on self-assessments or individual assessments during small group or one-on-one sessions, which is a fantastic approach. But did you know you can also track data in your classroom...
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267. Managing Behaviors During Counseling Lessons with Gina Venancio
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout September, we are diving deep into classroom lessons. I love using them as my tier 1 interventions. While many times we are handed lessons to deliver, there are plenty of situations where you have to create everything on your own. That is why I am sharing how to schedule, plan, and teach classroom lessons. These insights come from my Stress-Free Class Lessons Course, a five-module program that equips you with tools and strategies to feel prepared and confident. In today’s episode, we are focusing on behavior...
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266. Teaching Counseling Lessons
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout September, we are diving deep into classroom lessons. I love using them as my tier 1 interventions. While many times we are given lessons to teach, there are also plenty of situations where you are expected to create everything on your own. That is why I am sharing strategies on how to schedule, plan, and teach classroom lessons. These ideas come from my Stress-Free Class Lessons Course, a five-module program designed to help you feel confident and prepared. In today’s episode, we are focusing on the teaching piece...
info_outlineWelcome back to School Counseling Simplified! This week, I’m sitting down with Elissa Hughes, a middle school counselor who shared a standout presentation during Summer Summit. If you didn’t get a chance to attend live, don’t worry—Summer Summit recordings are available inside the IMPACT membership, along with PD certificates and hundreds of other school counseling resources.
Elissa Hughes is a middle school counselor with experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is a member of her school’s attendance committee, focusing on tiered supports, student engagement, and family communication. Elissa is passionate about creative, practical strategies that build positive habits, foster resilience, and strengthen connections between schools and families. She is a certified RYT-200 yoga instructor with additional training in children’s yoga and enjoys weaving mindfulness into her work to support student well-being. She holds a Specialist degree in Professional Counseling, a Master’s in School Counseling, and a double major in Psychology and Sociology.
In today’s episode, Elissa walks us through how her team approached improving attendance this school year through a tiered, relationship-driven strategy—and saw real results.
In this episode, Elissa shares:
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Tier 1 Strategies: A fun, low-effort incentive program involving 7th period attendance tracking and Dairy Queen Blizzard rewards (yes, Dairy Queen donated them!). Teachers submitted attendance data daily, and one class per grade level was rewarded with a treat.
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Tier 2 Support: A more individualized approach focused on understanding student and family challenges around attendance. Elissa discusses the importance of genuinely getting to know students, building trust, and having honest conversations with families to problem-solve together. She walks through common barriers like anxiety, transportation, trauma, and basic needs, and how to respond with empathy and actionable support.
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Results: Their school’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped significantly within just one year. Elissa credits this to consistent team collaboration, community involvement, and a mindset focused on connection over compliance.
Elissa also shares:
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What her daily schedule looks like as a middle school counselor, including mindfulness groups, classroom lessons, and flexible student support
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Her team’s collaboration with counselors, a social worker, and a family engagement coordinator, and plans to integrate PBIS more deeply next year
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Practical tips for embedding student wellness practices throughout the school day
Advice for New School Counselors:
"Always try to see things from another person’s perspective and point of view." Elissa reminds us that the foundation of strong counseling work is empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from the lived experiences of others.
If you loved this conversation and want to explore more practical tools like these, be sure to join the IMPACT membership. You'll gain access to every Summer Summit session recording, PD certificates, monthly resource drops, and a supportive community of school counselors like you.
Don’t miss out!
Want access to this session and more? Join the IMPACT membership to get all Summer Summit replays, monthly PD trainings, downloadable resources, and a community of fellow school counselors.
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More About School Counseling Simplified:
School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.
You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!