How to Use Social Emotional Learning Worksheets and Counseling Journals

I am a firm believer in hands-on, engaging games and activities, but occasionally I like to use social emotional learning worksheets to help reinforce concepts or promote self-reflection in students. A great way to do this is by using a collection of worksheets or journals in small groups or with individual students.

Gratitude Journals

Gratitude journals are a great way to help students with perspective taking and assessing the size of their problems. Reflecting on what they are thankful for minimizes seemingly large problems. This is a great practice to do with students not only at Thanksgiving but all year round! Check out my creative gratitude journal here.

Self-Regulation Coping Strategies Journals

A self-regulation journal gives students the chance to practice important self-regulation skills in order to better understand and manage their emotions. Try using one to teach students which feelings and actions are associated with each color and self-regulation coping strategies to help regulate their emotions. This low-prep journal would be perfect for an individual student to work on over a few sessions or for a self-regulation small group.

A self-regulation journal is also great to use for data collection and progress monitoring! The daily, weekly, and monthly increments provide a useful tool to spot trends and problem areas with students who might otherwise be overlooked. This is my go-to self-regulation journal.

Executive Functioning Doodle Journal

Try using an executive functioning doodle journal to have students assess their executive functioning skills, practice flexible thinking, and develop test anxiety strategies. A doodle journal is a creative outlet students can use to strengthen their right brain while discussing left-brain skills! I love to use this executive functioning small group and doodle journal. Or you can try a digital version.

Self-Reflective Journals

You can use self-reflective journals or social and emotional learning worksheets for nearly any topic you are covering in a school counseling small group or individual session. Try adding a visual element to make them more fun and engaging. I always recommend providing prompts so students have a starting point. Check out these small groups that all include self-reflective student journals.

Have you tried using social and emotional learning worksheets or journals in your school counseling sessions? Hopefully these ideas will help you see how it is easy to implement and totally do-able!