THE PIC (Practical Ideas for Counselors)

School Counselors as Culturally Competent Leaders

Last summer while attending a roundtable session for state leaders, our group

facilitator highlighted the term “culturally competent” as it is found several

times in the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies. As

these competencies outline the mindsets and behaviors that ensure school

counselors are equipped to meet the rigorous demands of the profession and

the needs of pre K–12 students, I found myself asking if I was culturally

competent as an individual? Is SDSCA as an organization culturally competent?

Is the school I work at culturally competent? I can offer resources that could

allow for learning and growth toward cultural competency.

• Several ASCA position statements address diversity in many ways: cultural diversity, equity issues, gender equity, and LGBTQ.

• Don’t miss the opportunity to acquire an ASCU U Cultural Competency Specialist Certificate.

• Did you know there is an Area of Specialty (AOS) within SDCA, for membership that promotes unity and cooperation among Native American school counselors? The SD Native American Counselor Association provides communication about Native American education in all fields, the Native American community and the general public; as well as providing a forum for the discussion of counseling problems relating to education affecting Native Americans. You can join this organization here.

On that note, with our November newsletter theme focusing on Diversity, please find pertinent information on this topic from board member Sheila Anderson. All the best in your respective school districts doing work that matters on this

important topic. ~All the best, Julie

South Dakota School Counselor Association November 2018

Julie Nelson

Unite. Support. Empower.

SDSCA

The mission of the

South Dakota School

Counselor Association

is to unite,

support, and empower

school counselors.

Our Vision:

The South Dakota School

Counselor Association

supports and unites

school counselors through

advocacy, leadership, and

collaboration. SDSCA

empowers our members

through professional

development opportuni-

ties, ethical support, and

resources to promote

student success in the

academic, career, and

social/emotional domains.

2018-2019 SDSCA President,

School Counselor

Southwest MS, Rapid City

In this issue:

Counselor Connections

Wrap Up…………..Page 2

Diversity Resources,

Awards & Mark Your

Calendar……….. Page 2

Speak Up at

School!.................Page 3

SDCA Conference Call

for Programs….. Page 4

**Upcoming Professional Development**

“Brains of Addiction: From Trauma to Repair”

By: Annette Bosworth, M.D.

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Oak Hills Baptist Church, Sioux Falls, SD

6201 S Lyncrest Ave

Sign up here!

Questions? Call Kiley at 605-728-4291

Counselor Connections 2018: 10 years!

SD Army National Guard remarks prior to “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)“ presentation.

Over 70 school counselor colleagues attended or presented at the 10th Annual Counselor Connections Conference held on the South Dakota State University (SDSU) campus Nov. 2 & 3. We appreciate

the support of the SDSU Counseling and Human Resource Development Department (CHRD) for the use of the facility, the many

talented presenters volunteering their time & expertise to share knowledge on a variety of topics, as well as the food & beverage

contributions made by the SD Army National Guard. Looking ahead to next year, we are excited to go forward with planning a joint

conference with SDSU CHRD aimed at improving and expanding the conference to more school counselors and agency practitioners.

Special thanks to this year’s chair, Anna Eidem, and her committee of board members (Elementary VP Amanda Bender, Treasurer Jeff Heavlin, Past President Alyssa Krogstrand &

President Elect Yolanda Price) for making this conference happen!

SDSCA Awards Window Opening Soon!

It's time to starting thinking about who

you would like to nominate for the 2019

SDSCA Awards. This is our opportunity to

honor the outstanding work of school

counselors and school counselor allies in

South Dakota. Details will be coming out

in next month’s PIC & ASCA partnered

online newsletter delivered to your inbox,

you can visit the awards page to review

the awards and criteria for nominees.

Unite. Support. Empower.

Oceti Wakan:

A culturally-based whole body approach

wellness program that addresses: bully-

ing, gossiping, depression, drug & alcohol

use, trauma, addiction, suicide, teen preg-

nancy, codependence, self esteem, com-

munication, self control, setting boundaries

& more!

Visit www.ocetiwakan.org for resources,

including a Life Skills Prevention Curricu-

lum (student workbooks for grades 2-high

school), posters, books, CD’s.

Mark Your Calendar

January 25, 019– SDCA Day on the

Hill in Pierre. Look for details com-

ing soon about this advocacy

opportunity with state lawmakers.

February 4th-8th– National School

Counseling Week! Start planning to

celebrate and advocate for you,

your program, and the profession

by clicking here to visit ASCA’s

NSCW page!

May 2-4– 2019 SDCA Conference in

Sioux Falls. More information com-

ing soon to the SDCA Website.

June 29-July 2, 2019–

“Revolutionary Ideas” ASCA

Conference in Boston, MA.

Online registration opens January

2019.

SDSCA board members Ashley Seeklander, Aman-

da Bender, Alyssa Krogstrand, Shannon Knuppe

and Jeff Heavlin at registration table.

Ethics & Bylaws Chair Dr. Dan DeCino & Chair Anna

Eidem hard at work!

SPEAK UP AT SCHOOL By: Sheila Anderson I chose the topic of diversity and tolerance because it is very important to me. I believe it is imperative that we teach tolerance and respond to instances of intolerance, bias and prejudice. Teaching Tolerance is an organization that provides information about celebrating diversity and how to respond to prejudice and stereotyping. There are many free re-sources at the site www.tolerance.org. One that I ordered and recently read was “Speak Up at School: How to Respond to Everyday Prejudice, Bias and Stereotypes.” Maybe you have been in a situation at school when someone, a student, a colleague, or even a parent has used bi-ased or stereotypical language. This can be an uncomfortable incident to hand and it is sometimes hard to know exactly what to say. This booklet gives tips about how to handle the situation in the moment

and how to be prepared which is actually the best way to handle the situ-

ations. Developing responses that will work in a variety of moments is

the first step. Here are some examples:

That offends me. I don’t find that funny. I’m surprised to hear you say that. Using that word as a putdown offends me. Using that word doesn’t help others feel safe or accepted here. These phrases allow you to speak up in a simiple, straightforward man-ner. Simple questions are another way to interrupt every day bigotry. What did you mean by that? Why would you say something like that? What point are you trying to make by saying that? Did you mean to say something hurtful when you said that? Questions place the burden on the person who make the remark. Prac-tice these aloud. Have them ready for the next moment. Say some-thing. The most important step is to interrupt the remark immediately. Sending a clear, consistent message is imperative. Questioning is also important and can accomplish two things. It can lead the speaker to explore his/her own blind spots or bits of ignorance. It can also help you better understand his/her thinking and give you more time to frame your response. Education and echo are two other strategies. Hate isn’t behind all hateful speech. Sometimes ignorance is at work or lack of exposure to diverse populations. Other times people don’t know the negative power behind certain words or phrases. When bias happens, a good first step is to explain why the term or phrase is offensive. Another strategy is to be an echoing voice. This way you can reiterate an anti-biased mes-sage or you can thank the person who spoke up. Remain calm and thoughtful. Don’t react with shock. Be yourself, be firm, be confident. There is no reason to shame or humiliate the other person. This often works against you, galvanizing the behavior instead of changing it. Prevention is the best way to stop this sort of behavior. Ask yourself “What climate do I want in my school or classroom?” What can I do to promote that atmosphere? You can prepare your students by teaching them some of the ready responses or better yet have them brainstorm some of their own. Classroom community is at the heart of anti-bias work. Help students build meaningful relationships with all students in the classroom and the will become ready and able to speak up for intol-erance for themselves.

Sheila Anderson

SDSCA Publications Co-Chair

K-12 School Counselor

Britton-Hecla School Counselor

Unite. Support. Empower.

Career Launch South Dakota

The Career Launch SD Career Advisors have created and assembled the material found on the new Career Launch SD Work-Based Learn-ing Toolkit to serve as an additional resource for you as you assist students with career awareness and exploration. Here you will find grab-and-go lesson plans relating to soft skills and career exploration, as well as guides and forms to start or supplement your own job shad-ow and internship programs. Please do not feel obligated to use all, or any, of the material found on this page, but know it is available to you to use if you choose. Please contact Crys-tal Trevino, DLR Career Program Coordinator, if you have any questions regarding the materi-al found on this site.

The Career Launch SD Work-Based Learning Toolkit can also be accessed from the DOE Work-Based Learning web page (https://doe.sd.gov/octe/wbl.aspx). You may find addi-tional useful work-based learning resources on this web page.

Down the road, Crystal Trevino will provide a webinar on the work-based learning toolkit. Stay tuned for an email later on in November with a date, time and more details on the webi-nar offering.

Unite. Support. Empower.

Consider Presenting at the 2019 SDCA Conference!

Do you have knowledge to share with your colleagues? The Call for Programs for our 2019 conference is open until November 15! Not sure what to present on? Here are some suggestions from last year...

• working successfully with low motivational and lower achieving students

• Working with students in poverty

• Law/ethics/how to testify in court

• Crucial conversations

• Lifespace Crisis Counseling

• Social Skills Teaching

• Diversity & Multiculturalism with students

• Grief in late adolescence-ideas to help students through loss

• Theories- CBT, DBT, Adlerian

• Technology/gaming

• Prefessional documentation-dos and don'ts

Call for Programs can be submitted through our Members Only portion of our website! Then it is saved to your profile for future reference! Not a member, take the opporutnity to join SDCA!

Do not delay! Conference registration opens December 1.

Connect with SDSCA via social media:

Facebook: https://

www.facebook.com/

SDSCounselors/

Twitter: @SDSCounselors

Pinterest: SDSCA Board

A group of South Dakota counselors recently attended the 2018 Midwest Institute for Leadership Training in Sioux Falls. Counselors from throughout the Midwest attended this training with the theme of “Confidence, Attitude, and the Inner Voice of

a Leader.”

**Message from Julia V. Taylor**

The seventh annual Evidence-Based School Counseling Conference is coming up in Columbus, Ohio on March 10th and 11th, 2019. The Evi-dence-Based School Counseling Conference provides school counselors with critical information about successful practice, evaluation, and relevant research to create dynamic and powerful school counseling programs. This year, there will be two powerful keynote speakers, plus over 70 peer-reviewed conference presentations. Go to the link below for details and registration information. Space is limited, so please register early!

http://www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/EBSCC_index.php