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Summer & Emotions Chat

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Lesson Plan

Individual Counseling First Session

Students will build rapport by sharing summer experiences, identify emotions, and set a personal emotional regulation goal for counseling.

Establishing trust and comfort on the first session empowers students to express feelings, fosters self-awareness, and lays the foundation for effective emotional support.

Audience

6th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Guided discussion and reflective activities.

Materials

Summer Reflection Worksheet, and Emotional Goal Setting Card

Prep

Prepare Materials & Environment

10 minutes

Step 1

Welcome & Warm-Up

5 minutes

  • Greet the student warmly by name and invite them to sit comfortably
  • Briefly reintroduce yourself and your role as their counselor
  • Ask a simple check-in question (e.g., "How was your first day back?") to ease into conversation

Step 2

Summer Reflection Chat

10 minutes

  • Hand the student the Summer Reflection Worksheet
  • Prompt them to share two highlights and one challenge from their summer break
  • Use open-ended questions: "What made that experience memorable?" or "How did you feel when... ?"
  • Validate their feelings and summarize key points to build rapport

Step 3

Emotional Goal Setting

10 minutes

  • Introduce the purpose of setting a goal: to help manage emotions in counseling
  • Present the Emotional Goal Setting Card
  • Ask the student to choose one area they’d like to work on (e.g., calming down when upset, expressing worries)
  • Guide them to phrase a SMART goal (“I will practice ___ when I feel ___”)
  • Write down the goal together and confirm their comfort with it

Step 4

Closing & Next Steps

5 minutes

  • Review their selected emotional goal aloud and acknowledge their effort
  • Explain how future sessions will support this goal
  • Ask if they have any questions or concerns
  • End on a positive note with encouragement and a reminder of your availability
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Worksheet

Summer Reflection Worksheet

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________

1. Two Summer Highlights

  1. Highlight 1:



  1. Highlight 2:



2. How Did You Feel During Each Highlight?

• Feelings for Highlight 1:







• Feelings for Highlight 2:







3. One Summer Challenge

Describe one challenge you faced this summer:




4. How Did That Challenge Make You Feel?







5. Draw Your Favorite Summer Memory

Use the space below to draw a picture of a summer moment that stands out to you:












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Activity

Emotional Goal Setting Card

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________

1. Emotion I Want to Work On

(e.g., calming down when upset, expressing worries, asking for help)




2. When I Usually Feel This Emotion

Think about a time or situation when this emotion comes up for you.







3. My SMART Goal

Use the guide below to write your goal. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

I will ________________________________________________________

when I feel ________________________________________________

so that I _________________________________________________







4. How Will I Know I’m Making Progress?

List one or two ways you’ll notice you’re getting better at this goal.







Great work! Keep this card somewhere you can see it every day to remind yourself of your goal.

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