I will use these weekly posts to share both old & new items that are part of my School Counseling toolbox.
For my first Toolbox Tuesday I decided to share two books that, unfortunately, I look to quite often. Being in three buildings, I work with a number of students who have a friend or loved one that is currently battling cancer or other serious illness. This is a situation that is viewed/approached many different ways depending on the family. When students first bring up this topic, I like to speak with parents and/or guardians to identify the language/descriptions they are using with the child at home. Afterwards, I like to use pages from the following two resources to help students 1) Identify feelings associated with the illness 2) Talk about the changes that are occurring through drawings and writing 3) Share concerns about hospitals, doctors, etc. Both books use language that is concrete for younger students. The "Life Isn't Always a Day at the Beach" book also has a cute penguin friend on each page. Many students enjoy this consistency throughout the workbook.
While I understand that workbooks aren't effective for all students, I have found these two to be very helpful in my discussions with students. In fact, I am working through the "Life Isn't Always..." book with a younger student, and the Intermediate School Counselor is completing the same workbook pages with the older sibling. This has helped the family become more comfortable about talking through the changes they are going through.
Find this book on Amazon here.
By: Pam Ganz & Tobi Scofield. Find it on Amazon here.
I would love to hear more about similar resources that you use with individual students and/or groups!
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