Counseling Portfolio
Thank you for visiting my portfolio! Here you will be able to view some of the work I have completed over the course of my training.
Stitching Strength:
A Body Positivity Program for Middle School Girls Using Crochet
For my final project in HDE PCE 101, I developed Stitching Strength, a theory of change and wellness intervention designed to promote self-compassion, body positivity, and resilience among middle school girls through creative, relationship-centered programming. Grounded in research on body image, media influence, adolescent mental health, and positive youth development, the project explored how societal beauty standards and social comparison impact girls’ self-esteem and sense of belonging. Drawing from both scholarly literature and personal reflection, I designed an after-school crochet-based program where participants engage in group discussions, journaling, and collaborative creative expression to build self-worth, emotional resilience, and supportive peer connections within a safe and affirming community.
Jeopardy!: 6th Grade Conflict Resolution Lesson
For a middle school counseling teaching demonstration, I designed and facilitated Responding to Conflict, an interactive classroom lesson focused on conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and healthy communication skills for middle school students. The lesson introduced students to practical conflict resolution tools including active listening, “I statements,” perspective taking, compromise, and help-seeking while helping students identify unhelpful reactions such as gossiping, yelling, or passive aggression. Through discussion, role play activities, and a conflict-resolution themed Jeopardy game, students practiced applying healthy communication strategies to realistic peer and family conflict scenarios in developmentally relevant and engaging ways.
A Small Group Intervention for 4-5 Grade Students Dealing with Parental Incarceration
For my final project in H340: The Process of Counseling – Advanced Skills & Techniques, I developed an identity-conscious group counseling program for fourth and fifth grade students navigating parental incarceration. Grounded in research on stigma, school connectedness, trauma, and resilience, the six-session intervention was designed to support emotional expression, coping skill development, peer connection, and belonging for students whose family experiences are often invisible or misunderstood within school settings. The project included a comprehensive literature review, logic model, measurable outcomes, evaluation tools, recruitment materials, and detailed session plans that emphasized strengths-based, trauma-informed, and developmentally responsive counseling practices.
Supporting Students with Separation Anxiety: A 6-Week Individual Intervention
For my facilitation guide project in H327: The Process of Counseling: Essential Skills, Techniques, and the Counselor, I created a six-session elementary school counseling intervention for a first grade student experiencing separation anxiety during school drop-offs. The intervention incorporated developmentally appropriate counseling strategies including play-based activities, social stories, emotional regulation tools, coping skill instruction, visual routines, and structured termination support. Across the six sessions, the project emphasized rapport building, emotional identification, self-regulation, and resilience while demonstrating trauma-informed, child-centered counseling practices within an elementary school setting.
Creating A Comfort Cube - An Elementary Intervention for Students Experiencing Trauma
For my project in H319: Childhood Trauma, I designed Creating Our Comfort Cube, a trauma-informed Tier 2 small group intervention for K–2 refugee and newcomer students impacted by war, displacement, and chronic stress. Grounded in trauma-informed school mental health research and MTSS frameworks, the intervention focused on increasing emotional regulation, coping self-efficacy, and perceived safety through sensory-based coping tools and developmentally appropriate regulation strategies. The session emphasized emotional safety, student choice, cultural responsiveness, and nonverbal forms of support while demonstrating how school counselors can create accessible and affirming interventions for young multilingual and trauma-affected learners.
Growing Together
A K-2 SEL Lesson Series to Promote Belonging & Inclusion
For my final project in Reframing Inclusive Education: Supporting SIWDs through Classroom Community and Asset-Based Pedagogy, I designed Growing Together, a Tier 1 K–2 social emotional learning lesson series grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), culturally responsive practice, and asset-based pedagogy. The project focuses on proactively building inclusive classroom communities through lessons centered on belonging, emotional safety, identity, friendship, problem solving, and community care. Drawing from course frameworks surrounding inclusion, accessibility, and meaningful participation, the lesson series emphasizes flexible engagement, student voice, relationship building, and emotionally responsive practices that support diverse learners within elementary school settings.
RIP & DIP:
A Bullying Prevention Lesson
I designed and facilitated a classroom counseling lesson for fourth grade students focused on bullying identification, advocacy, and safe peer intervention using the RIP and DIP acronyms. Grounded in ASCA Student Standards and evidence-based bullying prevention practices, the lesson helped students distinguish bullying from conflict through the concepts of repeated behavior, intentional harm, and power imbalance while teaching developmentally appropriate upstander strategies. Through scenario analysis, role play, and collaborative discussion, students practiced empathy, advocacy, and safe intervention skills in ways that promoted emotional safety, peer support, and inclusive classroom culture.
Supporting High Achieving Girls in School: A Handbook for Educators
For my final project in Education Across Cultures, I created a practical guide for educators and school counselors exploring how culturally shaped ideas of the “good student” can mask anxiety, perfectionism, and emotional struggle in high-achieving girls. Grounded in course theory and external research, the project examines how school expectations and gender socialization influence student well-being and offers practical strategies for recognizing and supporting quieter forms of struggle in school settings.
PBIS: Bee Kind Project
K-2 Students
I developed and implemented The Kindness Project, a school-wide elementary counseling initiative designed to promote kindness, inclusion, and positive peer relationships through student recognition and community participation. The project encouraged students to identify and celebrate acts of kindness by writing “kindness shoutouts” that were collected and shared during weekly school announcements. Grounded in social emotional learning and positive school climate practices, the initiative aimed to strengthen community connection, reinforce prosocial behavior, and create a more supportive and emotionally inclusive school environment for K–2 students.
