School Counseling

Our staff use the SEL 3 Signature Practices (Welcoming Activities, Engaging Strategies, and Optimistic Closures) to help foster inclusive, safe, and welcoming learning communities for our students, staff, and families. Watch these videos to learn more about these practices and how they help our students learn!

Invite your family to stand or sit together and pause as everyone gets ready.

Say: "Let’s take a moment to be here together, and now let’s take 3 or 4 calm, slow breaths."

Pause for deep breaths.

Say: "Now let’s remember a positive shared experience we’ve had as a family. I’m thinking of _________."

Smile and give everyone else the opportunity to remember and smile, too.

Ask: "How does it feel inside to remember this experience?"

Allow time for sharing responses.

Say: "Now I invite you to share an experience that you remember, too."

Continue listening and smiling as everyone takes turns sharing.

The STOP Practice can help whenever you feel distress, creating space to observe and tame your feelings, and to access the deeper resources within you. 

Give yourself a moment to come to rest, pause and collect yourself. The STOP practice can help whenever you feel distress, creating space to observe and tame your feelings, and to access the deeper resources within you.

This practice can support you during stressful times or when difficult emotions arise at any point in your day. The four steps can take as little as a few seconds to a few minutes to complete.

S – Stop

To begin, the “S” stands simply for stop. Just stop what you’re doing. Give yourself a moment to come to rest, pause, and collect yourself.

T – Take a Breath

Take 3 or 4 slow, deep, calming belly breaths, feeling the air coming in through the nostrils, filling your chest and abdomen, and then flowing out slowly. Let’s take 3 or 4 deep breaths, doing this at your own pace. Then let your breathing settle into a natural rhythm. 

O – Observe

Observe your experience in this moment—check in with yourself in a kind, non-judgmental, curious way. You might notice any thoughts, emotions, or bodily sensations. 

What are my thoughts like right now?

What am I feeling right now?

What physical sensations do I notice?

P – Proceed

Last, the “P” reminds you to proceed. Now that you have paused, taken a few slow deep breaths, and checked in with yourself, you can choose how best to move forward from here. You can take the next step in your day with clarity and wisdom.

Practicing 3 Breaths in difficult moments can create a purposeful pause so we can choose what we say or do next (rather than reacting).

The stress of daily life can be challenging, and often we feel rushed; it’s hard to be fully present. We may be distracted by what we’ve left behind or worried about something in the future. As parents, we want to be calm, predictable, and fully present so that we can have strong relationships built on trust. There are times when we need a moment to check in with ourselves, calm our own emotions, and settle so that we can better meet the challenges of parenting.

This is a simple skill called “3 Breaths” that we can use anytime. Practicing this in difficult moments can create a purposeful pause so we can choose what we say or do next (rather than reacting). It’s also helpful when transitioning from one activity to the next (for example, when arriving home after a long, busy day). 

3 Breaths is a deep breathing practice, which research has shown helps calm our nervous system, slowing down our heart rate, lowering our blood pressure, and bringing stress hormones back down to baseline. You can practice 3 Breaths while sitting, standing, lying down, or while walking!

3 Breaths Practice Script

The first step is to Pause. Sit comfortably in a chair, feet on the floor, with your back straight. In a moment we will take a few slow deep breaths. We want the breath to come from our lower abdomen, a deep diaphragmatic breath. When first learning this skill, it can help to place your hand on your abdomen to feel it expand on the inhalation and shrink on the exhalation.

Now I invite you to take 3 or 4 deep breaths at your own pace; breathe in deeply, then breathe out very slowly. Take a few moments now to take these deep, calming breaths. Notice the sensation of air as it goes in and out of your body, calming your body. When you’re finished the deep breaths, just breathe at your normal pace.

To end: Now take a moment to thank yourself for taking this time for self-care. You may want to gently move and stretch your body, and slowly transition back into your day.

Taking time to appreciate what — and who — we have in our lives has many benefits. This simple Gratitude Practice helps us to remember what we are grateful for.

Taking time to appreciate what — and who — we have in our lives has many benefits. In our daily life, we can practice three mindfulness tips for growing feelings of gratitude.

Finding time to practice gratitude in small ways throughout our day enables us to work through difficult emotions and find greater balance. 

Along with enhancing our personal lives, gratitude can also improve our performance at school or work by helping us get more sleep, improve our work environment, and contribute more constructively to our mission and values. 

The first step will be to identify things that you’re grateful for and do this on a daily basis. You can do this when you’re going to sleep or waking up. You can begin a journal for your gratitude practice. Explore this practice and notice the positive impact it can have for you. 

Take a moment to pause and settle, perhaps take a few slow, deep breaths. Then work through three simple ways to reflect on what you appreciate to grow your sense of gratitude. 

1. Tap into 5 things that you are grateful for 
2. Get inspired: Think of at least one person right now who you are appreciative or grateful for having in your life, as an inspiration in some way. Settle into thinking: “What is it about this person that I am actually appreciative of?” Allow yourself to feel that. 
3. Grow grateful feelings: Set the intention to text, email, message, or call that person today to share with them what it is about them that you’re appreciative of, or just to let them know that you’re appreciative for having them in your life.