276. Behind the Scenes of Successful Data Tracking
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Release Date: 11/25/2025
300. That's a wrap, School Counseling Simplified
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Hey there, counselor friend. This is episode 300, and I truly can’t believe we’ve reached 300 episodes of this podcast. Today marks the final episode, and I’m feeling a lot of emotions—but more than anything, I feel content. This podcast has served its purpose, and there are now hours of episodes you can listen to that are designed to help you simplify your life as a school counselor, while also empowering you to feel more confident and prepared in your role. My goal has always been to share the experiences and strategies I’ve learned along the way—so you can make your day-to-day...
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299. Building Community with School Counselors
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Hey there, counselor friend. On today’s podcast episode, I want to talk with you about the importance of building community with fellow school counselors. I often hear counselors say they feel like they’re on their own island. Many times, you may be the only counselor in your building—or even across multiple buildings. I remember when I worked at an international school, I was the only counselor for the entire district. Sometimes, you just need a sounding board—someone you can go to and ask: Does anyone else feel like this? Is this a good idea? What would you do in this...
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298. Must Have Counseling Spreadsheets
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Hey there, counselor friend. Today I am sharing my must have school counseling spreadsheets to help you track the services you provide and advocate for your role with confidence. These simple systems can be used to support a data wall or an end of year report so you can clearly communicate your impact to key stakeholders. If you know me, you know I love a good spreadsheet. I use them for everything from travel planning to recipes, and they have become one of the most powerful tools in my school counseling program. In this episode, I am walking you through the core data sheets I recommend every...
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297. How to Use Data to Advocate at the End of the Year
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am sharing how you can use data to advocate for your role at the end of the school year. Even if you are listening to this earlier in the year, now is the perfect time to start preparing. Advocating for your role as a school counselor is something I am deeply passionate about. Data allows you to clearly communicate the impact of your work and helps others understand the value of your counseling program. Here are two powerful ways to use data to advocate for your role. Data wall A data wall is a simple but effective way to...
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296. Counseling Outside of Your Office
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today’s episode is a short but powerful reminder to take your counseling outside of your office. This was something I really struggled with during my first year. I loved my office. I had created a cozy, welcoming space with all the things that made it feel safe and calm for students. It was a place where students came for small groups and individual sessions, and it worked well for that purpose. But during my in between time, I found myself sitting at my desk handling emails, scheduling, and other tasks. As I began shadowing...
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295. 3 School Counseling Game Changers
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am sharing three school counseling game changers. These are practical, actionable strategies that I have seen truly transform school counseling programs. They are simple, bite sized, and easy to implement right away to make your day to day feel more manageable. My goal is to give you one game changer for each tier of your counseling program so you can start making improvements across the board. Tier 1 Class Lessons One of the biggest game changers for Tier 1 is having a streamlined scheduling system for class lessons. In...
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294. Skill-Building Strategies for Small Groups with Sonya Kaidanov
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Sonya, a school counselor and IMPACT member. In this episode, she shares practical strategies for running small groups, including how to focus on short term skill building so students can successfully return to class ready to learn. Sonya is a 2nd year school counselor at a title I elementary school in Gresham, OR. She has been in Oregon for 13 years but was born and raised in Lexington, KY. Sonya believes that the most impactful part of school counseling is connecting with families and inspiring students...
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293. Fostering a Positive School Climate with Delana Carter
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Delana, a school counselor and IMPACT member. I left our conversation feeling inspired and refreshed by her passion, her heart for students, and her commitment to creating a supportive and connected school climate. Delana lives with her husband Wesley and their three daughters, Salem, Caroline, and Dare, along with their two cats. She is a graduate of Calvary Christian School in King, North Carolina, where she now serves. After high school, she attended community college for two years before transferring...
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292. Class Lessons and Self Love with Barbara Gruener
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Barbara, who after 40 years in the school setting now serves as a counselor mentor. With experience in both elementary and high school counseling, Barbara brings a wealth of wisdom to the conversation. In this episode, she shares her perspective on self love, meaningful connections with students, and the powerful role of classroom lessons in building relationships and preventing behavior concerns. After four decades of the gift of growing in her character building alongside learners of all ages and stages,...
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291. Engaging Students in Class Lessons with Lacey Dixon
School Counseling Simplified Podcast
Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today I am interviewing Lacey, a school counselor and IMPACT member. In this episode, we are talking all about class lessons and the engaging formula she uses to keep students involved and excited about learning. Lacey Dixon is an enthusiastic educator that leads with positive intention while fostering a nurturing, growth-oriented inclusive environment for her school and community. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation, a Masters in School Counseling, and a Masters in Instruction that has served her well...
info_outlineWelcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified. Today we are taking a behind-the-scenes look at effective data tracking and how it can help you better support students while advocating for the role of the school counselor.
Data can feel overwhelming, but when used intentionally, it becomes one of the most powerful tools in your counseling program. This episode breaks down simple, practical strategies to help you collect, interpret, and share data with confidence.
A Quick Win for Data Tracking
One of the easiest ways to begin building a data-driven counseling program is through a five-minute self-assessment.
- Create a quick Google Form with a few skill-based or feelings-based questions. You can either interview students and record their responses or have them complete it independently. Make sure to capture their name, their responses, and the date for easy tracking.
The Big Takeaway
Every counseling session should be purposeful and aligned with a clear objective. Before each session, ask yourself what skill, strategy, or concept you are focusing on. Your data tracking should reflect this objective so that you are gathering meaningful and relevant information.
My Favorite Data Tracking Tools
Self-Assessments
Self-assessments allow students to report on their own experiences, skills, or emotions.
Use these during the first and last sessions to monitor growth. Build your questions around the objectives of your session or group. These can be objective questions tied to specific skills or subjective questions tied to feelings.
Google Forms is an excellent tool for organizing and reviewing this data quickly.
Behavior Surveys
Behavior surveys provide valuable insight from teachers and caregivers.
Send these forms digitally for easy completion and record keeping. This data helps identify gaps between how students view themselves and how their behavior is observed by people in their daily environments.
End-of-Year Reports
This is one of the most powerful data tools for communication and advocacy.
An end-of-year report summarizes how many students you served, the lessons you taught, and the time spent providing support. These reports help guide decision-making, highlight the effectiveness of your program, and advocate for your role within the school.
Data Walls
A data wall is a bulletin board that displays key information and outcomes.
Place this in a location with high visibility such as the front office, hallway, or multipurpose room. Update it regularly, whether monthly or quarterly, and share only the most relevant results to keep the information clear and impactful.
How to Interpret Data to Improve Your Program
Data is only useful if it informs next steps.
If data shows student improvement, celebrate the progress and consider transitioning students to a lower tier of support.
If data indicates limited or no improvement, evaluate the situation. You may need to adjust interventions, refer students out, or move to a different tier of support.
Use the information to determine short-term, solution-focused next steps.
How to Use Data to Advocate for Your Role
When presented clearly and consistently, data shows the impact of your work and communicates the value of your counseling program. Data helps stakeholders understand how many students you serve, what needs are emerging within the school, and how your services contribute to positive outcomes. It is one of your strongest advocacy tools.
Resources Mentioned:
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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!