Perspectives of a Charter High School Counselor with Clique Collaborative Member Chris Z. [Episode 35]

Here's What to Expect In This Episode:

Looking for new perspectives from other high school counselors? Look no further than this conversation with Chris, a public charter high school counselor from California!

In this episode, we talk about Chris’ background and specialty in mental health. She emphasizes how it has aided her as she’s transitioned into a role of a school counselor in her current virtual school setting.

We talk about what is working in her school right now and how she hopes to grow those things. Chris shares a student success story and how she’s grown this year as a public charter high school counselor. Lastly, Chris shares her wins from her past eight months in the Clique Collaborative and how this high school membership has made an impact on her practice as a high school counselor.

Chris Z. made her way to school counseling via social work with backgrounds in foster care and mental health settings. She works at a public charter school in Northern California that serves students learning from the home through independent study. (They don’t have a physical school campus!) Outside of work, Chris loves gardening, cooking what she grows, and camping and hiking with her husband and dog. She has two adult daughters working in STEM fields.

You’ll love hearing about Chris’ background and how it has made her the school counselor she is today!

Topics Covered in This Episode:

How her public charter school is set up and what her students are like
How the pandemic affected her role when she’s virtual and partially in-person
Her unique and popular “Counselor Power Hour” program that serves students with college, career, and life skills
How she decides what topics to bring to her students
Her program hopes for this year (including clubs)
Why stress and anxiety are still at the forefront of her students’ needs and how she’s leaning into that challenge
A new population of students that her school piloted serving this year (a boys’ home group) and what she learned from the experience
A student success story and how a (what she calls) small moment carried impact beyond her role as school counselor
How the Clique Collaborative’s topics have served her this year specifically how she translates the topics to her specific school setting
Why she loves the “team” aspect and “realness” of the Clique Collaborative

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Sign up for “3 Back-to-School Strategies for High School Counselors,” a free, live workshop happening next week!
Get ready for the Clique Collaborative high school counseling membership to open on August 15!
Join the pop up Facebook group, “Kick-Start Your Year as a High School Counselor”
Subscribe to the private podcast, “How to Kick-Start Your Year as a High School Counselor”

Meet Our Guest:

Chris Z. made her way to school counseling via social work with backgrounds in foster care and mental health settings.

She works at a public charter school in Northern California that serves students learning from the home through independent study. (They don’t have a physical school campus!)

Outside of work, Chris loves gardening, cooking what she grows, and camping and hiking with her husband and dog. She has two adult daughters working in STEM fields.