Thriving School Psychologist Collective https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/ Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:48:16 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-TSP-Favicon-512-32x32.png Thriving School Psychologist Collective https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/ 32 32 3 Free Resources for National School Psychology Week 2023! https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/3-free-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-free-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2023 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/3-free-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2023/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 20:45:53 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4797 National School Psychology Week is almost here! Are you ready??? It’s November 6th-10th, 2023, and this year’s theme is “Let’s Grow Together.” I love this theme. For...

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National School Psychology Week is almost here! Are you ready??? It’s November 6th-10th, 2023, and this year’s theme is “Let’s Grow Together.”

I love this theme.

For those of you who don’t know me yet, I’m Dr. Rebecca Branstetter, school psychologist and co-founder of Thriving Students Collective. Since 2011, I’ve dedicated my career to helping school psychologists grow both personally and professionally, so they are engaged, joyful and in a vibrant and resilient community of other school psychologists. This joy and positivity radiates out to reach students, families, and school communities and help them grow their resilience too.

Click here to get your 3 free resources! 

🍃 Growth mindset coloring page and poster!

🍃 Resilience through relationships coloring page and poster!

🍃 Free copy of the Thriving School Psychologist Book to burnout-proof yourself … and grow!  

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3 Take Home Messages from NASP 2023 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/nasp2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nasp2023 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/nasp2023/#respond Fri, 17 Feb 2023 23:20:45 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4765 I’ve just returned from NASP 2023 in Denver and want to share three things that I’m bringing home with me. For those of you who...

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I’ve just returned from NASP 2023 in Denver and want to share three things that I’m bringing home with me.

For those of you who couldn’t come, I know what it’s like to get bombarded with NASP FOMO posts on social media all week long when you can’t go…

….so I got a little something special for you! Read on for free virtual swag.

1. Executive Functioning. So Hot Right Now.

My talk was on “10 Ways to Teach Executive Functioning” and imagine my surprise that folks were lined up to get in 30 minutes before like it was Taylor Swift concert tix going on sale! Y’all really love learning about executive functioning!

The ballroom room was so packed there were people sitting in the aisles and lurking outside to try to hear. Here’s the awkward group selfie to prove it. And this blog serves as my written apologies to the Denver Fire Marshall!

If you were turned away or weren’t at NASP, never fear! I got some virtual goodies for you!

I’ve recorded a mini-version of my talk for you to watch on my new fancy pants new website here!

Just scroll to the bottom of the page and look for this thumbnail:

You’ll get a crash course on executive functioning plus an Executive Functioning toolkit with printable worksheets for your students and families! Click here to get instant access to the mini-masterclass.

And if you want to get the full shebang (or better yet, get your district to pay for your MTSS team to get the full shebang) you can also check out my masterclass, How to Teach Executive Functioning to Children and Teens and learn about group rates so you can geek out with your colleagues on all things teaching executive functioning!

2. Y’all Love Swag (Especially of the Frog Variety)

The pens! The stress balls! Who doesn’t love the NASP exhibitor hall?

But what about frog bookmarks and mint/lip balm combo packs for your school psych bag? That’s what’s UP…

 

And if you’re all, “Wait, what is up with Kermit the frog and the frog swag?” then I have another virtual swag goodie just for you!

“Eat the Frog” is a productivity hack for getting reports written AT WORK so you don’t have to bring them home. You can read all about it in my FREE ebook version of my book, The Thriving School Psychologist! Click here to get the book for free!

Yours for Zero dollars because we need you thriving! Click here for the free e-book version.

3. We have WORK to do in Social Justice

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the harmful incident caused by Hyatt employees at the conference that involved excessive surveillance of our NASP President, Dr. Celeste Malone and her black school psychologist colleagues. If you don’t know what happened, there is more information here and a CBS news story about it here. NASP also issued a statement you can read here and it is being updated as the situation progresses.

I was proud of how quickly NASP and its members responded, and Hyatt has issued a formal apology, but in the context of the conference theme of “Radical Hope and Authentic Healing” it doesn’t stop here. We need to take this incident as a reminder to do more to fight injustice and nurture the next generation toward equity and inclusion.

I wrote down this quote during Dr. Malone’s keynote and had no idea how true it would be just a few days later:

Racism hurts all of us,  not just those directly harmed. 

Do yourself a favor and watch Dr. Malone’s full keynote on her theme Radical Hope, Authentic Healing from the General Session in Denver. Her message is strong and powerful in the challenging times we live in. Listen, reflect on your practice as a school psychologist, and share with others.

Even in these troubling times, I am encouraged by how NASP and how the school psychologist community rallied behind our colleagues.  And remember that it is not solely up to to marginalized individuals to take on institutional racism on their own.

As school psychologists with professional privilege, we must use it where we can and stand together. (And if you don’t know where to start, one small thing you can do is to donate to the Black School Psychologist Network or the NASP Minority Scholarship fund to show our solidarity as a profession). Or check out my call to action post from 2020 on how school psychologists can fight racism that still holds true today.

Do one thing. Then do the next right thing. Small acts stack up to big changes. Where there is crisis, there is an opportunity for healing and transformation…together.

Now do me a favor and go mark your calendar for our next NASP Conference in New Orleans in 2024. 🙂

Here’s to thriving together,

Rebecca

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Resources for National School Psychology Week 2022 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/5-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2022 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/5-resources-for-national-school-psychology-week-2022/#respond Mon, 07 Nov 2022 20:07:56 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4701   National School Psych Week is here! Are you ready??? This year’s theme is The theme is “Together We SHINE.” I love this theme. Since 2011, I’ve...

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National School Psych Week is here! Are you ready??? This year’s theme is The theme is “Together We SHINE.”

I love this theme.

Since 2011, I’ve dedicated my career to helping school psychologists prevent burnout—giving tools for thriving, not just surviving, even though yes, my first book was called a SURVIVAL Guide. What can I say? I was surviving at that moment, and now we’ve evolved to THRIVING.

Back to the theme! When one school psychologist shines—when they are engaged, joyful, and in a vibrant community of other thriving school psychologists—something magical happens. Like a prism, they shine out and their positivity reaches the students, families, and school communities they serve. Together, we definitely shine bright.

And all I can do when I see this theme is sing the Moana song in my head…😂

🎵 SHINY! Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough….Strut my stuff, my stuff is so SHINY! 🎵

So for National School Psychology Week, I’ve curated five SHINY new resources for you and your students!

Each of the five printable resources is based on the ways we help students SHINE:

 

You’ll get coloring pages and shareable social media images to strut yo’ stuff and let the people know what we do as school psychologists!

These tools will also give you the opportunity to have fun with kids this week in the activities you do best–whether its supporting SEL, boosting executive functioning, helping kids understand how their brains work, or being a champion for diverse learners.

👇Click here or on image below to get your free tools!👇

 

One last thing! I’ll be hopping on Instagram Live every day this week (November 7th-11th, 2022) at 3pm PST to share the 5 ways we help kids SHINE!

Hop over to Instagram and follow @thrivingschoolpsych now so you’ll be ready to join me live to win FREE SCHOOL PSYCH SWAG PRIZES! 🎉🎉🎉

 

All you have to do to join in the fun is hop on my Instagram page at 3pm and click on my profile pic when it says LIVE.

And if you catch this post after the live events, still come over to my Instagram and be a part of our community of school psychs, parents, and educators helping kids SHINE.

Be sure to enter in the contest to win cool SHINY stuff by 11/11/22 at 3pm! #ourstuffissoshiny!

 

🧡 Happy National School Psychology Week! 🧡

 

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3 Resources for National School Psychology Week! https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/nspw2021/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nspw2021 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/nspw2021/#respond Wed, 03 Nov 2021 23:26:32 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4487 The Road to Being a School Psychologist… I have a confession. When I was little, I loved school so much, I played “school” on the...

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The Road to Being a School Psychologist…

I have a confession.

When I was little, I loved school so much, I played “school” on the weekends.

For the record, I also had friends!

And…I would rope them into playing school with me (along with my childhood bestie, Grizzlette the teddy bear–she was an excellent listener).

And real talk?

I gotta admit… I still reeeeeeeally love “playing” school all day long for my career, as a school psychologist. My journey began out of a love of learning and continues to date with my love of helping students as a school psychologist. 

It’s my mission to support our increasingly stressed out students so they can love school too!

Over the past 20 years, I’ve learned that school psychologists play a vital role in helping our students thrive. But the problem is, when we are burned out, we aren’t tapping into our awesome.

When we thrive, students thrive too!

 

So for National School Psychology Week (#itwillalwaysbeSPAWtome) here’s three resources curated JUST for school psychologists to thrive!

Goodies on the 2021 Theme of “Let’s Get in Gear”

This year’s theme is “Let’s Get in GEAR.” (Grow, Engage, Advocate, Rise).  The theme’s acronym provides a challenge to grow both personally and professionally. It encourages us to engage in best practices and advocate for children’s access to mental health and learning supports. To rise implies resilience and renewal despite the challenges of the past.

This has a particular resonance this year as we work to help students, families, and school staff emerge from the challenges of the past year and a half.

Download these posters and more here!

 

Shifting Gears from Burnout to Happiness

My SPIN (get it?) on this year’s gears theme is helping school psychologists be their best school psych selves by tending to their own self-care.

Y’all have been HOLDING IT DOWN for your students during seriously challenging times….

So here’s a little social story just for you!

Who wants to hop on the Thriving Party Bus with me?  Be sure to load up on ALL THE THINGS to refuel:

🧡 Free download of my new book, The Thriving School Psychologist: 4 Steps to Better Time Management, Lower Stress, and More Impact in Your School Community, Beyond Testing! Click here!

🧡 Free webinar: The Four Pillars of a Thriving School Psychologist – Instant access available! Click here!

🧡 Free Coping Skills Coloring Book for your students! Click here!

New! Thriving School Psychologist Adult Coloring Book

On our latest Thriving School Psychologist Collective monthly Zoom call, one of our members mentioned that coloring is actually relaxing for ADULTS too.

YES! I got super excited about creating an adult coloring book on thriving as a school psychologist.

And I’m a big fan of bringing the fun to our stressful (through rewarding!) careers. No matter how old we are, when learning is fun, we learn more.

So I hope you have fun coloring this HOT OFF THE PRESS LITERALLY TODAY “Thriving School Psychologist Adult Coloring Book” full of quotes from my book and phrases we use ALL. THE. TIME. in the Thriving School Psychologist Collective course and community to remind us that when we thrive, our students thrive too. 

Download here!

Be sure to post a finished coloring page on my Instagram to be entered to win this snazzy Top 10 Reasons to be a School Psychologist Poster!

Winner announced at the closing of National School Psychology Week on Friday November 12th, 2021 at 3pm Pacific time! 

I hope you have a wonderful National School Psychologist Week!

Here’s to shifting gears to thriving…together!

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What Do Kids Mean When They Say “I’m Bored” At School? https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/what_do_kids_mean_school_is_boring/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what_do_kids_mean_school_is_boring https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/what_do_kids_mean_school_is_boring/#respond Wed, 15 Sep 2021 21:29:28 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4429   When you hear a student say, “School is boring!” how do you respond? As a school psychologist, I tend to hear one of two...

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When you hear a student say, “School is boring!” how do you respond?

As a school psychologist, I tend to hear one of two reactions from adults:

Reaction #1: Pinkie Pie-ing the Situation

We jump in, optimistic Pinkie Pie Style, and try to convince kids that school is sooooo much fun!!! This is a common reaction for those like me who loved school growing up (I loved school so much, I even played “school” on the weekends! 😳 ).

In fact, here is actual footage of me, projecting my experience of school being fun onto kids who have just told me it’s boring:

 

Reaction #2: Normalizing Boredom 

Or, I’ve seen the opposite, where well-meaning adults downplay feelings of boredom as a fact of life that is normal and expected at school.

They might say, “Being bored is just a part of school that you have to deal with. Not everything is going to be exciting.”

Especially if you have this guy as a teacher:

 

While neither reaction is inherently wrong, what both of these reactions miss out on an opportunity….

Check out this new guest post I wrote for the Greater Good Science Center Magazine to find out how you can turn “I’m bored” into an opportunity to boost connection, understanding, and school engagement.

 

 

 

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Tea & Thriving Book Club – Why Self-Care isn’t Enough https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/tea-thriving-book-club-why-self-care-isnt-enough/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tea-thriving-book-club-why-self-care-isnt-enough https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/tea-thriving-book-club-why-self-care-isnt-enough/#respond Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:23:53 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4413 I  laughed. I cried. I did a Tik Tok dance for you. Back to school pix are starting to hop in my feed, so here’s...

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I  laughed. I cried. I did a Tik Tok dance for you.

Back to school pix are starting to hop in my feed, so here’s mine.

I can’t help it. I love the first day back to school! 🤓 #nerdalert

Lifelong learners, you feel me…but um…don’t crunch the numbers though. 😂

Real Talk Though…

If that back to school excitement dissipates when get your mile-long caseload list, or you find yourself back-burnering all those great hobbies and self-care activities you did over the summer by October, this episode of Tea and Thriving I just dropped is for you. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Catch the replay of my fourth “Tea and Thriving” book club on Instagram Live here! 

We talked about the critical mindset shifts needed to get out of the “quicksand of overworking and negativity” trap using strategies from my newest book, “The Thriving School Psychologist.”⁠

We talked about:⁠

🫖 What a “Zoom Mullet” is and why I love them!

🌼 A powerful and creative way to add self-care IN to your day, not an add ON after work.

☯ My new “Tik Tok” moves that will help you remember the “Yin and Yang of self-compassion” all year long.

🎉(I also dropped some exciting and time-sensitive TSP news at end…be sure to catch the last 5 minutes to hear the news.) 🎉

Get the Book for Free, Join Us for Tea

Don’t have the book yet? Wanna geek out on all things school psych next Tea time?

You can get the book free by clicking here!

 

After you’ve downloaded the book, it’s easy to join us! Just follow me on Instagram and you’ll get announcements when the next one is being held! Easy Peasy!

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Tea & Thriving Book Club – The Power of Marigolds https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/tea-thriving-book-club-the-power-of-marigolds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tea-thriving-book-club-the-power-of-marigolds https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/tea-thriving-book-club-the-power-of-marigolds/#respond Sat, 14 Aug 2021 00:06:48 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4408 Pinkies Up, Getting Down to Serious School Psych Business… I’ve been loving connecting with other school psychs live on my Tea and Thriving book club...

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Pinkies Up, Getting Down to Serious School Psych Business…

I’ve been loving connecting with other school psychs live on my Tea and Thriving book club sessions on Instagram. You know why?

Because nobody gets school psychs like other school psychs! 🧡

Unfortunately, unlike teachers, we can’t just pop down the hall for advice or a cuppa comfort after a hideously tense IEP meeting with another school psych who will GET IT.

If you ever feel isolated from other school psychs and want creative ways to connect, catch the replay of my third “Tea and Thriving” book club on Instagram Live here! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

We talked about the critical mindset shifts needed to get out of the “being on an island of suffering” trap using strategies from my newest book, “The Thriving School Psychologist.”⁠

We talked about:⁠

🫖 My huge Freudian slip about tea that reveals my true identity

🌼 Why you need to plant a garden of “marigolds” this fall RIGHT AWAY to protect yourself from professional isolation

🙅‍♀️ How to put on your psychological hazmat suit from toxic energy at your schools

🎉(And I dropped some serious school psych connection goodness at the end….be sure to catch the last 5 minutes to hear the news!!!) 🎉

Catch the replay by clicking here! 

Get the Book for Free, Join Us for Tea

Don’t have the book yet? Wanna geek out on all things school psych next Tea time?

You can get the book free by clicking here!

When you download the book, you’ll also get announcements about when the next virtual book club meets!

 

 

After you’ve downloaded the book, it’s easy to join us! Just follow me on Instagram and you’ll get announcements when the next one is being held! Easy Peasy!

 

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Beyond Self-Care Sunday: 4 Surprising Ways to Prevent School Psychologist Burnout https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/beyond-self-care-sunday-4-surprising-ways-to-prevent-school-psychologist-burnout/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beyond-self-care-sunday-4-surprising-ways-to-prevent-school-psychologist-burnout https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/beyond-self-care-sunday-4-surprising-ways-to-prevent-school-psychologist-burnout/#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2021 17:24:22 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4356 When you think of someone who is burned out, it conjures up images of someone who is “phoning it in” —  disengaged, uninterested, and hating...

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When you think of someone who is burned out, it conjures up images of someone who is “phoning it in” —  disengaged, uninterested, and hating their work.

That’s not what burnout often looks like for school psychologists and others in the helping professions.

When school psychologists get burned out, they still love their job and their students, but they may feel trapped in a role that only scratches the surface of what they can do to help kids.

They often feel demoralized at the state of educational systems in general and feel powerless to make changes.

Burnout for school psychologists rarely looks like “phoning it in” –in fact, it’s often the opposite— it’s overworking and feeling underutilized.

 

To add insult to injury, we’re implicitly told to “Self-Care Sunday” our way out of stress, by taking “me time” at the same time crises and legal deadlines are looming over us.

As if one relaxing bubble bath or a trip to the gym is going to counteract the daily stress of working in under-resourced school systems where school psychologists are frequently tasked with doing so much more with less time and resources every single day.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

I know because I clawed my way out of burnout 10 years ago by embarking on a decade long Me-search (excuse me, RE-search) project on the science of happiness and burnout prevention for school psychologists. I’ve made it my life’s mission to share what I learned so others don’t have to suffer as I did for so many years.

Fun Fact!

At the height of my burnout, when I almost quit the profession altogether, I was “doing self-care” religiously.

 

After work, I walked my dog on the beach every day to decompress. I worked out 3 days a week in my hip hop cardio class. I spent time with friends and family. I took bubble baths. I was checking all the “Self-Care Sunday” boxes.

But self-care wasn’t enough.

I thought I was doing it wrong.

Why was I still so stressed out all the time? How come I couldn’t stop thinking about my endless to do list, the passion projects for my students I never got to, and all the students that needed help that weren’t getting it soon enough?

Perhaps I needed to add aromatherapy to my bubble bath routine?

I wish that someone had pulled me aside at the beginning of my career (oooh—maybe my future self, ala Doc Brown in Back to the Future!) and given me the advice I’ve learned from working with over 600 school psychologists on burnout prevention.

These tips, garnered from my community in The Thriving School Psychologist Collective would have saved me sooooo much heartache (Great Scott! If only I had a time-machine!):

Burnout Prevention Strategy Tip #1

 

Thriving school psychologists eliminate and streamline bureaucracy.

Research shows that decreases in small daily hassles improve job satisfaction, and many of these hassles are surprisingly within your control. I’m looking at YOU, redundant paperwork and report writing. Look, I love testing and yes, reports have value, but the number one complaint of school psychologists is they spend too much time chained to their laptops writing reports.

Back when I was first starting out, my time management skills that got me though grad school did not seem to work on the job. The problem was, though I was generally organized, traditional strategies were not sufficient. The time management adage “Do what is important first” didn’t work because IT WAS ALL IMPORTANT and my caseload was ridiculously high. So, I spent my days tending to the “crisis du jour” and then I brought home reports to write on nights and weekends.

The number one strategy that school psychs in my community say has been the biggest game changer in their time management is our “Eat the Frog” strategy. This gross metaphor comes from a Mark Twain quote that goes something like (I’m paraphrasing): If you eat a live frog every morning, then that’s the worst thing that will happen to you and it’s downhill from there.

What’s school psychologist’s “frog task?” What is something if we do first thing in the morning when we are fresh, will free us up for the rest of the day? You guessed it. Report writing. I invite you to try out this strategy—carve out the first hour and a half of the day for testing and report writing. As soon as that kid leaves your office from testing, score and write up what test you just did. This small activity leads to a very satisfying moment when you are days before the IEP and you open up a report to find it mostly done!

Burnout Prevention Strategy Tip #2

 

Carve out time for a small passion project that aligns with a bigger need at your school.

Research shows that using your skills and abilities to your full potential increases engagement and job satisfaction. Being more than a “testing machine” fuels your personal engagement and career sustainability.

You don’t have to revamp your whole MTSS team or build out a school-wide SEL program. Start with something small and put it on your calendar. What are you passionate about? Teaching mindfulness? Educating parents of kids with ADHD about how to help at home?

Even if it’s carving out 30 minutes of “think time” to research your passion project or setting up a collaboration time with a colleague who shares you passion, it can build momentum. Think big and start small! That mindfulness counseling group once a month, or that parent talk about ADHD could evolve into something big. And you’re going to feel excited about doing something new and breathe some excitement in your day!

Burnout Prevention Strategy Tip #3

 

Make a plan for connecting with other school psychologists.

Research shows that positive relationships with your colleagues is a protective factor against burnout.  Connecting with other school psychologists decreases feelings of professional isolation and boosts positivity.

One of the challenges of our profession is, unlike teachers, we can’t just pop down the hall to consult with another school psychologist. And let’s face it: No one understands us like US!

We need that constant support, sounding board, and consultant for tricky cases and tough situations, and school psychologist friends are the BEST.

Plan for connection. Put it on the calendar as a regular appointment. Is it a monthly lunch? A Friday happy hour? A consultation group that meets regularly on Zoom?  A text thread of encouragement with a group of trusted and fun school psychologists who lift you up? Find what works for you and make connection a habit.

Burnout Prevention Strategy Tip #4:

 

Practice self-compassion in addition to self-care.

Research shows that people who are happy in their jobs tend to be happier all around and similarly, generally happier people tend to enjoy their jobs. Happiness “broadens and builds” our cognitive resources. It makes us more creative, better able to handle stress, and be better problem-solvers.

So, cultivating happiness isn’t just a nice thing to do to feel good, it also makes us better school psychologists.

 

It’s been a long journey for me to embody this principle as something I actually do, and not just something I know I should do.  

I used to “do self-care” by walking my dog after work. But mentally? I beat myself up on that walk, ruminating about how I was not being efficient enough in the day.

I used to “do self-care” by going to the gym. It definitely helped my mood, but I still had the “Sunday Dreads” because I knew I had unfulfilled passion projects that would help kids, but I didn’t have time for them.

And I used to “do self-care” by taking bubble baths, but would hop out and end up working on a report until midnight.

Self-care is only one part of the equation for burnout prevention.

We must also hold ourselves in self-compassion for doing the best we can with the resources and time we have (props to Kristen Neff for this gem!) We must cultivate that “treat yourself like you would a bestie school psych friend” energy. Next time you’re stressed out, ask yourself what advice you’d give a close friend. I guarantee it’s going to be good, just what you need, and much better than what you are currently doing for yourself!

School psyching is hard. But it’s worth it. You can make a huge difference in the life of kids and have a long, fulfilling career, even in difficult circumstances.

When you treat your burnout as a systematic issue in our profession and not just a personal self-care fail, you can thrive.

But maybe we should all go out and buy some lavender bath oil anyway? You know…just in case it helps too?  🙂

 

Rebecca Branstetter, Ph.D., is a school psychologist, speaker, and author on a mission to help children thrive by supporting school psychologists, educators, and families. She is the founder of The Thriving School Psychologist Collective®, an online course and community dedicated to improving mental health and learning supports in public schools by supporting school psychologists. ***ENROLLMENT OPEN NOW THROUGH AUGUST 15th, 2021 – CLICK HERE***

Want to learn 4 steps to better time management, lower stress, and more impact in our school communities—beyond testing? Download your FREE E-book copy of The Thriving School Psychologist here!

 

 

 

 

This blog post is also available on NASP’s blog. If you want to see Dr. Branstetter’s full one hour training on moving Beyond Self-Care Sunday for one NASP-approved unit, click here! 

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Back to School Time Management Tips! https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/back-to-school-time-management-tips/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=back-to-school-time-management-tips https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/back-to-school-time-management-tips/#respond Mon, 02 Aug 2021 19:43:09 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4371 Hayyyy school psych friends! One of my fave school psych mentors once told me, “The time to learn to swim is not when you’re drowning”...

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Hayyyy school psych friends! One of my fave school psych mentors once told me, “The time to learn to swim is not when you’re drowning” and I feel like this really applies to school psychs building out organizational systems before we head back to school.

If you’re worried that the floodgates of referrals are going to open up after SEVENTEEN months of pandemic learning and you’ll be drowning in assessments and report writing, this message is for you…

 

Want to know what I’ve learned about organization and time management from my zillion years as a school psych (and from working with over 600 school psychs across the country in the Thriving School Psychologist Collective)?

Check out my 2021 version of the 4 Pillars of a Thriving School Psychologist webinar (recently revised!) so you can:

1) Get immediate support with organization and time management for your crazy to-do list before the year starts, AND

2) Learn the top 5 time-saving hacks (and 5 mind hacks!) to think systematically about how you can refresh your skill set beyond testing…for the long term.

An hour of your time watching this free training may be just the inspirational time-management reboot you need right now!

In the webinar, I share the stories of school psychologists who made powerful transformations being in the Thriving School Psychologist Course with me. You’ll hear how:

  • Jennifer went from being a “testing machine” to doing almost 100% SEL work
  • Jess went from working every night and weekend to getting all her reports done AT WORK
  • Amanda went from always putting her self care on the back burner to figuring out a clever way to embed self-care IN HER DAY.

You’re going to be so inspired…I promise!

Plus, you’ll get free snazzy organizational tools for….whatever comes your way this school year. 😳😳😳

And if you attended the webinar before, there’s a brand new offer at the end, featuring snazzy new SEL and time-saving bonuses!

Plus, there’s time-sensitive information about how to join this year’s cohort of The Thriving School Psychologist Collective!

“See” you in the training…since it’s virtual, no cute face masks required…though I do have quite the eclectic collection now of Harry Potter, sloth, and coffee masks. 😉

🧡 Rebecca

 

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Tea and Thriving Book Club – How to Break the TEST-IEP-REPEAT burnout cycle https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/ttbook-club-how-to-break-the-test-iep-repeat-burnout-cycle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ttbook-club-how-to-break-the-test-iep-repeat-burnout-cycle https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/ttbook-club-how-to-break-the-test-iep-repeat-burnout-cycle/#respond Fri, 30 Jul 2021 23:21:26 +0000 https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/?p=4363 Pinkies Up, Getting Down to Serious School Psych Business If you haven’t heard the news, I’ve started an ongoing virtual book club for school psychs...

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Pinkies Up, Getting Down to Serious School Psych Business

If you haven’t heard the news, I’ve started an ongoing virtual book club for school psychs where we will be talking about my newest book, The Thriving School Psychologist (which you can get for FREE here!).⁠

Come geek out with us for about 20-ish minutes at a time on live workshops on my Instagram Live, so you can turn the ideas from the book into action. ⁠

It’s easy to join us! Just follow me on Instagram and you’ll get announcements when the next one is being held! Easy Peasy!

 

Serving Up Your Second Cuppa Thriving….

Hey school psychs….we just finished our second “Tea and Thriving” book club on Instagram Live with special guest Dr. Byron McClure, founder of Lessons for SEL (and featured school psych in Chapter 5!)

We talked about the critical mindset shifts needed to get out of the “being in a testing only cage” trap using strategies from my newest book, “The Thriving School Psychologist.”⁠

Catch the replay on my Instagram (Just head over here!)

We talked about:⁠

🫖 How to set yourself up to expand your role beyond testing (even when you are super crunched for time!).⁠

🫖 How Byron carved out more time for SEL initiatives at his school … and beyond.⁠

🫖 What critical mindset shift you can make that will keep you from getting overwhelmed.⁠

🎉(And we dropped some serious SEL goodness at the end….be sure to catch the last 5 minutes to hear the news!!!) 🎉

 

Get the Book for Free, Join Us for Tea

Don’t have the book yet? You can get it free by clicking here! When you download the book, you’ll also get announcements about when the next virtual book club meets!*

 

 

*Our next “Tea and Thriving” chat is all about Pillar 3 of Thriving–connecting with a community of positive and like-minded school psychs (It’s my favorite Pillar! Don’t tell the others! LOL).

Grab the book, hop over to follow me on Insta, and tune in on Tuesday, August 3rd at 12 noon Pacific Time! 

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