Beyond "Fixing" Things: Fostering Emotional Acceptance in School Counseling

What happens when we stop trying to "fix" things for our students and start showing them how to accept negative emotions? In this episode of the ​School for School Counselors Podcast​, we examine the surprisingly transformative power of acknowledging and accepting negative emotions.School counselors can serve as advocates and allies, but we are not magicians. Not every issue can be "fixed," and sometimes, the healthiest way forward may involve experiencing and accepting the not-so-pleasant emotions.In this pod, I talk about how we can guide students to understand that emotions, like all things in life, are temporary, and how accepting these emotions can pave the way for better psychological well-being in the long run.I also talk through the limitations of prescriptive approaches in school counseling and the potential pitfalls of readily-available resources, emphasizing the need for thoughtful, quality approaches that recognize the importance of negative emotions.It's an interesting conversation, to be sure, and one I can't to share with you.Resource:Ford, B. Q., Lam, P., John, O. P., & Mauss, I. B. (2018). The psychological health benefits of accepting negative emotions and thoughts: Laboratory, diary, and longitudinal evidence. Journal of personality and social psychology, 115(6), 1075–1092. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000157*********************Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.Hang out in our Facebook groupJump in, ask questions, share your ideas and become a part of the most empowering school counseling group on the planet! (Join us to see if we're right.) Join the School for School Counselors MastermindThe Mastermind is packed with all the things your grad program never taught you IN ADDITION TO unparalleled support and consultation. No more feeling alone, invisible, unappreciated, or like you just don't know what to do next. We've got you!Did someone share this podcast with you? Be sure to subscribe for all the new episodes!!Connect --> schoolforschoolcounselors.com This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.