TPT's Dirty Truths & Why You Need an Evidence-Base

Ever wondered why some school counseling programs deliver long-lasting results while others fall flat? In this episode of the School for School Counselors podcast, host Steph Johnson addresses the critical need for evidence-based practices in the field of school counseling. Though counselor-created resources are popular, Johnson emphasizes the importance of moving beyond these kinds of resources commonly found online. She discusses the insufficiency of peer-reviewed research in current school counseling interventions and offers reliable alternatives such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and established curriculums like Second Step and MindUP. Additionally, Johnson highlights the potential harm of inadequately researched resources found on platforms like Teachers Pay Teachers. She provides practical advice on where to find validated interventions and underscores the value of collecting long-term data to assess their effectiveness.If you truly want to be a better school counselor, listen in for actionable insights to elevate your school counseling practices, backed by the power of evidence-based approaches that truly make a difference in students' lives.Mentioned in This Episode:School for School Counselors MastermindResources:American School Counselor Association (2019). ASCA schoolcounselor professional standards & competencies. Alexandria,VA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a8d59c2c-51de-4ec3-a565-a3235f3b93c3/SC-Competencies.pdfAmerican School Counselor Association. (2021). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/mindsets-behaviors.pdfCollaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://casel.org/Committee for Children. (n.d.). Second Step program. Retrieved from https://www.secondstep.org/Gallagher, C., Swalwell, K., & Bellows, L. (2019). Editorial processes and quality control in educational materials. Educational Studies, 48(1), 112-128.Kendall, P. C. (1990). Coping Cat program for anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19(2), 99-107.MacArthur, J., Harris, L., Archonbald, N., & Shelton, K. (2021). Findings on the quality of activities in educational resources. Journal of Educational Research, 54(3), 245-262.National Association of School Psychologists. (n.d.). Professional development. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/professional-developmentSawyer, R., Dick, M., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The correlation between resource aesthetics and cognitive demand. Mathematics Education Review, 62(4), 301-318.The Goldie Hawn Foundation. (n.d.). MindUP curriculum. Retrieved from https://mindup.org/U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ 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.