5 Ways School Counselors Can Work Online

Virtual learning is here in full effect! Whether your school is fully online or hybrid (both online and in person) as school counselors and educators in general, we need to also transition our work online to remain in the mix - we don’t want “out of sight, out of mind” side effects. Transitioning our work online also includes school settings that are in-person as well. Look, with what’s going on with our current global health crisis affecting a multitude of school settings across the world, we don’t know what will happen either good or bad. For right now and thinking forward into the future, the traditional in-person school settings may not be the most reliable settings for us to provide our services to the school community.

Below, I provide 5 ways school counselors can work online to continue our counseling services.

1. Creating Bitmoji Classrooms

School counselors can continue programs and support services through creating Bitmoji classrooms. First, you will need to create a Bitmoji character; here’s mine below:

After downloading the Bitmoji app on your iPhone or android, you will start creating the avatar version of you! With this character, you want it to best resemble you. Your typical outfit, hairstyle, facial details, and more unique qualities about you (hair cut, make up, shoes, and more!) After creating your Bitmoji, head on over to Google slides.

On Google slides, you will create your virtual classroom. Click here for the resource I followed to create mine! This classroom which you can also refer to as your office, will allow you the creative space to continue building your virtual presence for your school community. You control the color schemes, wall art, desk items, and other knick knacks that students may commonly see in your physical office or your imagination of what you want your office to look like. Once you have designed your virtual room, you can include this in your email as a link, on your school’s website under the school counselor page, or your online platform page such as Google classroom, Schoology, or Microsoft teams. Nonetheless, creating Bitmojis and Bitmoji classrooms which your students, staff, and parents will utilize throughout the school year is an excellent way for your school community to request your help without being physically present.

2. Creating an Online Classroom

Creating your school counselor online classroom will be on your school’s online platform that is used as the infrastructure for the virtual learning setting. Like I mentioned above, some examples are Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Schoology, Canvas, or Seesaw. Advocate for yourself or take advantage of the opportunity to have your own online classroom(s). For me, I am the only school counselor for my middle school of about 350 students from grades 5 through 8. Therefore, I will have an online classroom for each grade level class group. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to structure my counseling lessons on a weekly schedule. Usually, I plan with teachers the days and times I can come into their class and teach a lesson for the students. Now, my class is embedded in the school schedule which creates more autonomy for myself to create a more paced counseling curriculum plan.

Again, take advantage of the online format to have a class for your student population divided into groups based on their grade level or last names. You can record instructional videos or go live with students talking about anxiety, hygiene, social skills, or any of your curriculum content you wish to share. You also have the option to hold academic or entertaining activities, guest speakers, or interdisciplinary lessons to build and strengthen your school community online.

3. Collaboration and Consultation Online Services

For Parents:

Your reach online can include the larger school community. With an online presence, you can create videos or graphic organizers to parents and guardians about different topics such as establishing a back to school schedule, behavior expectations, coping techniques, and sibling aggression. Holding these weekly or monthly mini workshops will allow you to remain present with parents and guardians in addition to you already being present for their children/your students.

For Colleagues:

Being included in grade level or subject level team meetings is an excellent way for you to understand what your students are learning now, what they will learn later, and general expectations that each teacher has in their own online, hybrid, or in-person classroom. Additionally, you can listen to their challenges and successes which can signal to you a problem in the school that you may have a solution for. Some ways to collaborate and consult throughout the progression of the school year includes:

• Creating a needs assessment for parents, staff, and students

• Quarterly feedback forms

• Participation and absenteeism data

With these additions to your online platform, you can develop intervention plans that cater specifically to improving (improving = increasing, decreasing, adding, or removing) an area(s) of the current school setting that is in your control.

For Students:

Transfer your after school club online or create an after school club that is within the boundaries of your school for students to join online. Depending on their age range, collaboration with students as a school counselor is a mindful approach for you to know what specific needs they require particularly during this time of a global health crisis, current political climate, and racial injustice.

• How can we create new opportunities and possibilities for students?

• Who can I create a safe space online for?

• What change needs to happen to improve my students’ well-being?

• Why is taking action urgent right now?

• What am I raising awareness for that my students can benefit from?

4. Provide Direct School Counseling Services

Perhaps shifting from in-person to online frees up more time that you are actually available for students. Amidst the scheduling, professional developments, paperwork, and much more that may have consumed your day when in-person, providing online direct services to students can be a realistic action right now. Create an online check-in form for students to fill in if they’re in middle and high school. Here is my example:

For elementary students or students with limited online access, you can ask teachers to help by giving you students who are exhibiting symptoms of online learning which may include withdrawal, low scores, behavior tendencies, bullying, plagiarism, and more.

On your school’s online platform, you can hold 10-15 minute school counseling video sessions to provide solution-focused support. Through these individual sessions you can either refer students to an outside support service (if their symptoms are out of your reach and after you have consulted with a mental health provider). You can also create small groups that meet online weekly if you see a common trend occurring; for instance, students who are experiencing physical or relational losses as school remains online. Holding small groups for these students can reconnect them with others by redesigning the socialization that in-person school once provided.

Other small group ideas include:

• English as a second language/English language learning students

• Transitional grade groups (1st grade, 6th grade, 9th grade, and 12th grade students)

• College bound students

• School clubs/programs

• Sports teams

5. Make a Websites

School counselors can transfer their programs online by making a website. If your school permits, creating a website can be a useful tool for you. First, it’s useful to promote what you do, who you are, and how you can support your school community. Second, it can be suitable for you to reach all of your students and parents. For instance, if you have a high student to counselor ratio or if your school population resides in a rural area, creating a website extends beyond your physical reach to support students while also alleviating logistical dilemmas.

A school website can also be used for:

• A school’s counseling department

• Counselor and, or school specific announcements like local school district decisions, online college fairs, and breathing exercises to do at home

• Community services list providing contact information for families such as counseling services to food donations

• Accessible paper for parents and students (ex. transcripts, schedules, or home address change)

• You can create accessory social media sites that your school permits such as a professional Instagram account, TikTok, SnapChat, and a private YouTube page.

On the back-end, if you choose to create a website, it can take several hours or days to build and finalize. However, it will be worthwhile to use for the remainder of the school year and even your school counseling career.

Mide, Miss InterEducation