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This post is coming a bit earlier than I originally planned, but I just HAD to post about my canine lovebug, my partner in counseling and one of the most genuine and warm spirits, Franny the therapy pug. Franny is a six year old pug who I adopted ( or rather, rescued) from a home where she was being bred for puppies quite regularly. She had already had two litters by the time I found her, and we just felt that mama/doggy love connection from the start! She's been a wonderful addition to not only the school, but as my personal pet. Today, I thought I'd blog a little about Animal Assisted Therapy with kids, and why it is so beneficial. One of the most important aspects of AAT is that it teaches EMPATHY. What is empathy, you ask? Well, it's different than Sympathy, which is word most people are familiar with. While sympathy is the ability to feel sorry for a person, animal, etc., empathy is the ability to  personally relate  to someone or something in need. Here's a
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Making New Friends

Hello Again, Friends, and welcome back to the counseling blog! As we begin this school year, we are focused on helping children feel comfortable and safe in their new classroom. Perhaps your child, like my son, didn't get any of their friends from last year in their class, and they might be feeling sad, lonely or alone. How can we help them identify those feelings, validate them, and still help them to be happy? Well, one solution is to help them discover that they have great things to offer and they can make new friends! Even though not knowing any of their friends from last year may seem like small problem to you, it's a big deal to a child. During the elementary school years, children really build their identity on who their friends are, and those alliances are important! We have to help guide our children to understand that while their friendships are by no means "over" because they aren't in the same class ( there's always recess!), it is important to m
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Welcome to school year 2018-19. I am so excited to start blogging about my adventures this year! I am so excited to be in a new school district, Round Rock ISD!  I thought I'd start with an introduction about some great ways to connect with those wide-eyed kindergartners who are, usually, either ecstatic to be at school, or petrified. Poor babies. Some of them just need a big bear hug, or in my case, a Franny hug. Franny is my therapy pug, my sidekick, my partner in counseling. She provides a great warmth and comfort to all students, but especially those in need of a snuggle. Let's discuss kindergartners. Those precious little balls of energy between the ages of 5 and 6 who need extra love and attention during their transition from preschool or home with mom, to the big leagues. Today I'm going to focus on those little guys (and gals) who are the anxious type. You know who I'm talking about right? The ones who are crying, hiding behind their mom's leg holding on
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Hello again, friends! I haven’t posted in a long time...you know how life goes. But, I’m back and ready to begin a brand new school year with elementary kids! A bit of an update first: I still work with my pug, Franny. Our family relocated from New Mexico to Texas and we now work to promote school attendance and reading! My boys are now in second and third grade...how time flies (tear)! This school year I am motivated to share new programs and ideas with my fellow counselors, including the No Place for Hate program, Banana Splits, No Place for Hate, and Bully Busters, a proactive group that encourages fifth graders to be leaders on campus! Many new things are happening, friends! Stay tuned as we begin a brand new school year here at It’s Elementary...School counseling! Much love! Amber
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