School Counselors Making an Imprint on Future Generations (GSCA 2026 Annual Conference)

Elementary/Middle

Elementary

Discover practical, timesaving strategies that help school counselors make a lasting imprint on future generations. This session provides smart, efficient tools to strengthen attendance initiatives, streamline student support, organizational help, and deliver impactful classroom lessons. Participants will leave with ready to use resources and innovative approaches designed to increase effectiveness—empowering counselors to work smarter, not harder, while maximizing their positive impact on students presented in a quick “speed dating” fashion.

Elementary/Middle

School Administrator

Is HB123 consuming all your time? Tired of unsuccessful attendance interventions? Learn how to garner support from administration and implement a schoolwide and targeted program that is NOT the sole responsibility of the counselor. Leave with ideas and resources to implement right away.

High School

School Administrator

All Levels

New Counselor/Graduate Student

This session provides school counselors with a clear roadmap to LPC licensure in Georgia while emphasizing how this growth strengthens their imprint on future generations. Presented by a recently fully licensed school counselor and an experienced supervisor of both school counselors and mental health therapists, the session offers practical steps, supervision insights, and real-world guidance to navigate the process, expand clinical skills, and deepen impact on student social/emotional learning and long-term success.

Middle/High School

All Levels

This session helps school counselors better understand how trauma, incarceration, family separation, and systemic harm impact students’ sense of safety, identity, and belonging. Using a relational and strengths-based lens, participants will explore practical ways to support healing, trust-building, emotional regulation, and student connection in schools while honoring resilience, dignity, and lived experience.

All Levels

All Levels

School counselors make a lasting imprint on future generations by empowering students academically, socially, and emotionally. This session explores innovative, equity-centered counseling strategies that promote student resilience, leadership, and self-advocacy. Participants will examine practical approaches to academic planning, social-emotional learning, and family and community collaboration. Attendees will leave with actionable tools and ideas to strengthen comprehensive counseling programs and positively impact student outcomes across diverse school communities.

All Levels

All Levels

School counselors are uniquely positioned to shape students’ social, emotional, and academic growth. This interactive session introduces sandtray interventions as a developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed approach to support student success. Participants will learn how sandtray fosters emotional regulation, resilience, and self-expression, especially for students who struggle verbally. Through practical strategies and real-world examples, counselors will gain tools to support diverse learners, address mental health needs, and create meaningful, student-centered experiences that leave a lasting impact.

All Levels

New Counselor/Graduate Student

Have you ever struggled to advocate for your role in your building? Or perhaps you’ve experienced frustration or burn out when confronting ongoing challenges and barriers. School Counselors are uniquely positioned to be leaders in schools, though we’re not always recognized as such. When this happens it can negatively impact our ability to advocate effectively for our students. Join us as we discuss tangible ways to advocate for yourself and your program.

New Counselor/Graduate Student

Counselor Educator/Supervisor

Polé Polé — Building Resilience That Lasts In this powerful and practical session, Tia Banks introduces educators and school leaders to her signature Polé Polé® Framework, a resilience-based approach designed to help individuals and institutions move forward with clarity, ownership, connection, and purpose. Polé Polé, meaning “slowly, steadily, and with intention,” guides educators through four essential resilience skills needed to thrive in today’s educational landscape.

Elementary

New Counselor/Graduate Student

A fast-paced, practical session that shows counselors how to transform familiar classroom games into engaging Zones of Regulation activities students love. Participants will learn how to use gameplay to spark connection, build emotional awareness, and bring Zones concepts to life in a fun, low-prep way. Attendees will leave with ideas for game-based activities and simple strategies they can use in classroom lessons, small groups, or share with staff to support consistent, schoolwide implementation.

All Levels

All Levels

Daily stress experienced by students, school personnel, and families can have a significant impact on the well-being of individuals in school communities. School counselors can leave an imprint on future generations by creating programs and services that focus on social emotional learning and wellness. This program will address social emotional learning and wellness initiatives that school counselors, district personnel, and counselor educators can implement to improve the well-being of their school communities.

All Levels

All Levels

School counselors and clinicians both play vital roles in supporting student well-being; misalignment can lead to fragmented care and inconsistent Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices. This session examines the impact of disconnected systems on student outcomes and explores how aligning clinical insight with school-based practices improves emotional regulation, engagement, and success. Through discussion, reflection, and application, participants will learn to strengthen collaboration, improve communication, and implement cohesive strategies across school, home, and community settings.

All Levels

New Counselor/Graduate Student

Are you struggling to collaborate and consult effectively with other student support colleagues to support your school counseling program and students? Do your roles seem to overlap, leaving little clarity about your identity as a school counselor?

Join us to learn how to improve collaboration, clarify roles, and create a unified approach to supporting students. Learn how to maximize the impact of your school counseling program and students through teamwork and shared commitments.

All Levels

Counselor Educator/Supervisor

Join me for an engaging session that will display the power of mentoring through Bow Tie Boys’ Club (BBC). Together we will explore the components of developing a mentoring program and the connection to the components of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Participants will navigate the benefits of developing a mentoring program and becoming a mentor, explore the “why”, systematically setting up a program and developing their own unique sense of purpose.

All Levels

All Levels

Explore how educator wellness directly shapes school culture in this interactive session. By understanding the "ripple effect" of emotional regulation and thought patterns, participants will learn to preserve creative energy and resilience. Attendees will walk away with practical mindfulness tools and a takeaway toolkit designed to protect well-being. Invest in your health to build a stronger school ecosystem.

New Counselor/Graduate Student

All Levels

This session is designed to help new school counselors use Google Suite tools to build an organized, efficient, and student-centered counseling program. Participants will explore how tools such as Google Drive, Docs, Forms, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and Gmail can streamline daily tasks, simplify data collection, and support program management. Attendees will learn time-saving strategies, digital organization systems, and creative ways to deliver counseling services, track student needs, schedule appointments, and collaborate with staff and families.