As the field of college admission evolves, so does the role of college counseling. Leading a Dynamic College Counseling Program (Leading) is an intensive workshop designed to support professionals in the acquisition of essential tools, resources, and knowledge pertaining to the field.

College counseling professionals, regardless of title, can lead their program and facilitate change from any position. The facilitators of this workshop provide hands-on training, as well as resources to support participants in their pursuit of becoming a transformative leader in their college counseling office.

Topics include: defining and understanding leadership, inclusive counseling, data-driven decision making, and preventing counselor burnout.

Program Directors:

• Stacy Richardson, Director of College Counseling/The Potomac School
• Cherise Ogle, Associate Dean of College Counseling/The Weber School

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Opening Remarks

Understanding Leadership  (1.25 Credit Hours)

Take an intricate look at leadership from a college counseling perspective. Discuss models of leadership and how it’s enacted. 

Managing Up, Down, and Across (1.25 Credit Hours)

Examine personnel issues, budgetary considerations, and communications. Learn a variety of strategies that will create the strong and nimble foundation needed to support a dynamic program.

Break

Assessing Your College Counseling Practice for Inclusivity (1.25 Credit Hours)

You might be intentional in counseling diverse populations, but is everyone in your department as conscientious? Is the impact you are hoping for aligned with your intentions? Through the use of guiding questions, participants will explore their college counseling programs to determine if they are engaging all students and families. By sharing best practices and some of the glaring (or not-so-glaring) ways our college counseling departments address diversity and inclusion, we will discuss the questions we should be asking, what we are doing to address diverse populations, and create a list of action items so our departments are better prepared to serve all of our students and families.

Lunch Break

Defining and Aligning Your Mission (1.25 Credit Hours) 

A dynamic college counseling program starts with its mission and goals. Explore the need for a clearly articulated mission and discuss how to ensure that it is aligned with your school’s mission or vision statement. 

Data Driven Decision Making: Using Data to Improve College Counseling (1.25 Credit Hours)

Without data, conversations about college can be lost behind the idea of a namesake, cost, or national acceptance rates. With the help of session leaders, attendees will develop a clear understanding of how to forecast, collect, translate, and recycle data to be useful for a variety of constituencies: the college counseling office itself, students, families, principals/head of schools, and board of trustees or district personnel. Learn about a variety of approaches to implementing more data during the coming year.

Day 1 Wrap Up

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Emerging Trends (1.25 Credit Hours)

Nothing is more constant than change in college admission, and it is essential counselors keep in touch with the new trends and issues that arise as we support our students. Gain perspective on hot topics, and gather resources to stay on top of the changes to come. 

Break

Preventing Counselor Burnout (1.25 Credit Hours)

Counselors promote work-school balance to students, but often find they are unable to find a work-life balance that allows them to continue in their profession. With increased caseloads and additional tasks, coupled with busy daily lives, counselors often can’t take care of their needs. This session provides strategies to help counselors work smarter.

Final Wrap Up