Category: Students

My Parents Don’t Trust Me!
By Categories: Building responsibility, Counselors, Motivating cooperation, Parenting, Parents, Problem solving, Students, Win-win parenting authority Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Helping kids establish (or re-establish) trust with parents Excerpted and adapted from High School’s Not Forever by Dr. Jane Bluestein and Eric Katz, MSAC (2005, Health Communications, Inc, Deerfield Beach, FL). This piece was written for teens and young people, and is included on this site for parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, and others who work with…

An Alternative to Advice Giving
By Categories: Building responsibility, Counselors, Educators, General Interest, Problem solving, Social and Emotional Growth, Students Tags: , , , , , ,

Asking questions to guide problem solving The questions that follow are provided to help with the mechanics of mastering the technique of “asking—not telling,” an effective alternative to giving kids advice that encourages independence and problem-solving competence. The questions are

How to Stay Stressed
By Categories: Avoiding burnout, Counselors, Educators, General Interest, Parents, Self-care and Inspiration, Students, Taking care of yourself Leave a comment

Does this sound familiar? The following [satirical] material came from a bookmark distributed by De Anza College: Although the De Anza Health Office long been an advocate of stress management, stress, tension, and burnout are still common complaints of students, faculty, and staff alike. On account of this, we have come to the following conclusion:…

The Myth of the Self-Esteem “Myth”
By Categories: Counselors, Educators, General Interest, Health and Safety, Overcoming obstacles, Parents, Students, Taking care of yourself Leave a comment

What self-esteem is, and is not On this page you will find a comparison between the characteristics of someone with a healthy, functional sense of self-worth vs. the characteristics of someone whose sense of worth, value, esteem, and deservingness is weak or low. See below for additional information. Self-esteem clearly goes beyond simply “feeling good…

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Friendships
By Categories: Counselors, Culture and Community, Educators, General Interest, Health and Safety, Parents, Social and Emotional Growth, Students, Tolerance and Respect 16 Comments

Learning to tell the difference Think about someone in your life who leaves an open space for you to be yourself. No one is more valuable. I would rather have a pillar of trust in my life than a pillar of strength. —Deepak Chopra Do you have friends who leave you feeling happy and uplifted?…

Perfectionism with Dr. Miriam Adderholdt
By Categories: Counselors, Culture and Community, Educators, General Interest, Health and Safety, Parents, Podcast, Self-care and Inspiration, Social and Emotional Growth, Students, Taking care of yourself Leave a comment

What’s Bad About Being Too Good? Episode Summary: In a culture that praises and rewards excellence and accomplishment, how can we avoid crossing the line to a dangerous desire for perfection? Dr. Jane Bluestein talks with Dr. Miriam Adderholdt about what perfectionism is, how it can negatively affect our social and emotional health, and the difference…

Survey: Is Your School an Emotionally Safe Place?
By Categories: Counselors, Creating community, Culture and Community, Educators, Emotionally safe schools, School climate, Students Leave a comment

Assessing Climate in Individual Classrooms and Schools This survey lists a number of practices that characterize a school with an emotionally safe climate. It has been included on this site to help you evaluate your school’s goals, policies, and intentions, as well as the degree to which each exists in actual practice. The list is…

Perfectionism vs. Healthy Pursuit of Excellence
By Categories: Counselors, Educators, General Interest, Health and Safety, Parents, Social and Emotional Growth, Students, Taking care of yourself Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Explaining the difference The following information was excerpted from Perfectionism: What’s Bad About Being Too Good? by Dr. Miriam Renée Adderholdt and reprinted with her permission. Perfectionists reach for impossible goals. Pursuers of Excellence enjoy meeting high standards that are within reach. Perfectionists value themselves by what they do. Pursuers of Excellence value themselves by who they are. Perfectionists…

The Power of Discouragement
By Categories: Avoiding burnout, Blog, Counselors, Educators, Emotionally safe schools, General Interest, Overcoming obstacles, Parents, Recognition and Reinforcement, Self-care and Inspiration, Social and Emotional Growth, Students 1 Comment

The impact of feedback on achievement Years ago working in Slovenia, I met an art teacher, Andrej Grošelj, who stayed in touch over the years and became a friend until his recent and sudden death. With the help of Google’s Language Tools, I was able to translate email messages he occasionally sent in his native tongue. One…