Life on the Fly.... A School Counselor Blog: Fixer Upper: School Counselor Style

I'm happy to report that my new office space is the best and biggest I have had in my school counseling career. It's a huge positive of my new job as I think about how I will work with students. I wanted to show you the progression of my BEFORE and AFTER shots for fun, and I hope it will give you some inspiration for your space. There is still work to do, but I am excited with the start! Watch for my next post of "must-have" resources that I have ordered for this new job if you have PTA/PTO or other school funds available for start-up materials.

Enjoy and Happy Counseling! ~ Angela

DAY 1: These photos were taken after moving the furniture to the general places I wanted and adding my IKEA polka-dot carpet.

DAY 2:

I pushed two tables together in the open space for individual and group counseling. There are 8 chairs surrounding the table. The room used to be a conference room so I have a projector screen that can be used to pull up websites, songs, or Smartboard lessons, if needed. The bulletin board paper covering the table is a big hit with students who like to draw and all students love to write their names there.

Day 3: Now I really started making some progress ! I assembled my "Giving Tree" complete with hanging lanterns (Target), hung my "Aloha" banner purchased on my Hawaiian vacation this summer (behind my desk), and made my "What Will You BEEE?" bulletin board that goes along with our new PBIS matrix to Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. I especially loved how I could add texture to the bees with black pom-poms so they were more 3-dimensional. The huge black square pictured next to my desk below is actually a really great fold-out whiteboard that I can use with groups, if needed. I still have my hanging pocket charts for quick access to my "go-to resources" that I use most often. I also hung my scaling arrow, feelings poster, and picture frame art holders on the walls for use with students and to add color.

Day 4: Finally, the finishing touches. I put up the four mirror decals I mentioned in my previous post. They are perfect, and I can really see my reflection....#selfie! :) I am still going to make a cool picture frame to go around it that has positive self- statements written in it, but that will be a later project.