My Dream office
A Professional School Counselor's office, or Counseling Center, should have a purpose to it! It should be developmentally appropriate for the students with whom the School Counselor is working with. According to Kottman (2001, 2003) one of the most important things about a counselor's office is for the counselor to be comfortable. When the children sense the counselor's comfort, it will allow them to be comfortable as well.
When you first walk into my counseling center, you will walk into the main waiting area. To the right there is a secretary's desk. The secretary handles phone calls, general emails, and checking-in students & parents. In the back left corner of the waiting area, there are parent resources which includes school and community information. I want to make important information like this as accessible to parents as possible. To the left, there is an area for students that includes a small table and chairs, bean bag chairs, a fun carpet, a shelf with games, toys, & books, a light board, and a television. Although the purpose of this is to keep the students occupied while they are waiting, I have made an effort to include a broad range of games, books, and toys that promote emotional and creative expression, capture thier interest, and facilitate thier verbal and nonverbal investigation (Landreth 2002). My counseling center is a warm and inviting place where students and parents alike come in and feel calm and welcomed.
To the left of the waiting area, there is a copy room. This is very convenient to have in the counseling center because the other counselor and I can easily make copies of lesson plans and other materials to use in our guidance lessons and/or group & individual counseling. We can also make copies the parents and/or students if needed. In the copy room, there is a copy machine, a table, a storage cabinet for paper, ink, office supplies, etc., and file cabinets that hold student files. These file cabinets are kept locked, as is the door to the copy room. The only people who have a key are the counselors, the principal, and the secretary.
To the right of the waiting area is a conference room. The purpose of this room is for meetings/conferences with administrators, supervision for interns, weekly meetings with between the counselors, parent conferences, meditations, and/or Special Education meetings. There is a large table with chairs and a SmartBoard in the room.
Straight ahead from the waiting area is the group counseling room. This is a spacious room for groups to meet in. There is a large table with small chairs for the students. This is helpful for lunch groups, or if the group is doing an activity that they may need a large table for. There is also plenty of room to stand up and move around should the group require that. There are extra chairs stacked in the corner, if needed. This room contains a SmartBoard, selves that contain a lot of games, toys, and books. There is also a storage cabinet that contains any materials that the counselors would need for groups such as craft items, outdoor items, poster boards, etc.
In my counseling center, there are two, medium sized counselor offices are on either side of the counseling center. The rooms are big enough for the children to move freely, but small enough so they are not overwhelmed. Also, having separate offices within the counseling center emphasizes the feeling of privacy so that students are comfortable to talk with the counselor without worrying about others overhearing them (Vernon, 2009). I have two counselors in my counseling center to help with the heavy workload so the counselors can fulfill all of their counseling and non-counseling duty. Both offices contain the same counseling materials. The counselors each have a spacious desk to work at and a file cabinet is beside the desk for personal files and case notes for the specific students the counselor meets with on a regular bases. Each counselor also has a bookshelf for their books/resources. There are two chairs located on the other side of each counselor's desk for meetings with parents or other adults (Vernon, 2009).
Each counselor has a small table with small chairs in their office. These can be used for small groups or for individual counseling. There is also a SmartBoard in each counselor's room, along with easy to reach shelves filled with various toys, games, and books (Vernon, 2009). I have strategically placed toys in my office that fit all of the categories suggested by Kottman (2001,2003) when using play therapy: 1)Family/nurturing toys, such as the sand tray and puppet theater in each room so children can build a relationship with the counselor and explore family dynamics. 2) scary toys, such as rubber snakes and monsters so children overcome their fears and learn how to cope with them. 3) Aggressive Toys, such as a punching bag and toy weapons, to allow the children to express their anger and aggression. 4) Expressive Toys, such as Play-Doh and paints to help children non-verbally express their feelings and creativity. 5) Pretend/Fantasy Toys, such as masks, costumes, and magic wands so that children can express their feelings, explore a wide range of roles, and act out real-life situations. All games, books, and toys in my counseling center have also been selected to promote diversity (i.e. characters are from different cultural backgrounds and various family structures), Lastly, there is an area with two small, comfy chairs and a fun rug. There are many options for seating and I have utilized small chairs for my student to increase their comfort (Vernon, 2009).
When you first walk into my counseling center, you will walk into the main waiting area. To the right there is a secretary's desk. The secretary handles phone calls, general emails, and checking-in students & parents. In the back left corner of the waiting area, there are parent resources which includes school and community information. I want to make important information like this as accessible to parents as possible. To the left, there is an area for students that includes a small table and chairs, bean bag chairs, a fun carpet, a shelf with games, toys, & books, a light board, and a television. Although the purpose of this is to keep the students occupied while they are waiting, I have made an effort to include a broad range of games, books, and toys that promote emotional and creative expression, capture thier interest, and facilitate thier verbal and nonverbal investigation (Landreth 2002). My counseling center is a warm and inviting place where students and parents alike come in and feel calm and welcomed.
To the left of the waiting area, there is a copy room. This is very convenient to have in the counseling center because the other counselor and I can easily make copies of lesson plans and other materials to use in our guidance lessons and/or group & individual counseling. We can also make copies the parents and/or students if needed. In the copy room, there is a copy machine, a table, a storage cabinet for paper, ink, office supplies, etc., and file cabinets that hold student files. These file cabinets are kept locked, as is the door to the copy room. The only people who have a key are the counselors, the principal, and the secretary.
To the right of the waiting area is a conference room. The purpose of this room is for meetings/conferences with administrators, supervision for interns, weekly meetings with between the counselors, parent conferences, meditations, and/or Special Education meetings. There is a large table with chairs and a SmartBoard in the room.
Straight ahead from the waiting area is the group counseling room. This is a spacious room for groups to meet in. There is a large table with small chairs for the students. This is helpful for lunch groups, or if the group is doing an activity that they may need a large table for. There is also plenty of room to stand up and move around should the group require that. There are extra chairs stacked in the corner, if needed. This room contains a SmartBoard, selves that contain a lot of games, toys, and books. There is also a storage cabinet that contains any materials that the counselors would need for groups such as craft items, outdoor items, poster boards, etc.
In my counseling center, there are two, medium sized counselor offices are on either side of the counseling center. The rooms are big enough for the children to move freely, but small enough so they are not overwhelmed. Also, having separate offices within the counseling center emphasizes the feeling of privacy so that students are comfortable to talk with the counselor without worrying about others overhearing them (Vernon, 2009). I have two counselors in my counseling center to help with the heavy workload so the counselors can fulfill all of their counseling and non-counseling duty. Both offices contain the same counseling materials. The counselors each have a spacious desk to work at and a file cabinet is beside the desk for personal files and case notes for the specific students the counselor meets with on a regular bases. Each counselor also has a bookshelf for their books/resources. There are two chairs located on the other side of each counselor's desk for meetings with parents or other adults (Vernon, 2009).
Each counselor has a small table with small chairs in their office. These can be used for small groups or for individual counseling. There is also a SmartBoard in each counselor's room, along with easy to reach shelves filled with various toys, games, and books (Vernon, 2009). I have strategically placed toys in my office that fit all of the categories suggested by Kottman (2001,2003) when using play therapy: 1)Family/nurturing toys, such as the sand tray and puppet theater in each room so children can build a relationship with the counselor and explore family dynamics. 2) scary toys, such as rubber snakes and monsters so children overcome their fears and learn how to cope with them. 3) Aggressive Toys, such as a punching bag and toy weapons, to allow the children to express their anger and aggression. 4) Expressive Toys, such as Play-Doh and paints to help children non-verbally express their feelings and creativity. 5) Pretend/Fantasy Toys, such as masks, costumes, and magic wands so that children can express their feelings, explore a wide range of roles, and act out real-life situations. All games, books, and toys in my counseling center have also been selected to promote diversity (i.e. characters are from different cultural backgrounds and various family structures), Lastly, there is an area with two small, comfy chairs and a fun rug. There are many options for seating and I have utilized small chairs for my student to increase their comfort (Vernon, 2009).
Kottman, T. (2001). Play therapy: Basics and beyond. New York; Guliford
Kottman, T. (2003). Partners in play: An Alderian approach to play therapy (2nd ed). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Landreth, G. (2002). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (2nd ed.). New York: Brunner-Routledge
Vernon, A. (2009). Counseling Children & Adolescents (4th ed). Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company
Kottman, T. (2003). Partners in play: An Alderian approach to play therapy (2nd ed). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Landreth, G. (2002). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (2nd ed.). New York: Brunner-Routledge
Vernon, A. (2009). Counseling Children & Adolescents (4th ed). Denver, CO: Love Publishing Company