Lesson Plan
Counseling Welcome Plan
Build rapport with the student, explore their personal strengths, and co-create one meaningful goal for future sessions in a 30-minute individual counseling meeting.
Establishing trust and self-awareness early enhances engagement, boosts confidence, and lays the groundwork for goal-oriented counseling.
Audience
6th Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Icebreaker, reflection, and goal-setting activities.
Materials
- Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Cards, - Strengths Reflection Worksheet, - Goal-Setting Worksheet, and - Writing Utensils
Prep
Prepare Materials
5 minutes
- Review the Strengths Reflection Worksheet and Goal-Setting Worksheet.
- Print one copy of each worksheet.
- Create or shuffle the Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Cards.
- Ensure writing utensils and a comfortable seating arrangement are ready.
Step 1
Warm-Up Icebreaker
5 minutes
- Invite the student to draw one card from the Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Cards.
- Ask them to read the prompt aloud and share their response.
- Use open-ended follow-up questions (e.g., “Tell me more about that…”) to deepen rapport.
Step 2
Strengths Exploration
10 minutes
- Distribute the Strengths Reflection Worksheet.
- Guide the student to identify 3–5 personal strengths and provide examples of when they’ve used them.
- Encourage honest, positive self-reflection; offer prompts if needed.
Step 3
Discuss Strengths
5 minutes
- Review the student’s completed strengths list together.
- Highlight patterns or standout strengths and affirm their impact.
- Ask how they feel when they use these strengths in daily life.
Step 4
Goal-Setting Activity
8 minutes
- Hand the student the Goal-Setting Worksheet.
- Support them in selecting one achievable academic or personal goal.
- Help them outline 2–3 specific action steps and identify potential challenges.
Step 5
Closing and Next Steps
2 minutes
- Summarize the student’s identified strength(s) and chosen goal.
- Confirm a plan for checking progress in the next session.
- Offer positive encouragement and express excitement for continued work together.
use Lenny to create lessons.
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Slide Deck
Your Story Starts Here
Welcome to our first counseling session!
Today we will:
- Play a fun icebreaker game
- Discover your personal strengths
- Choose one goal to work on together
Let’s get started!
Welcome the student warmly. Introduce yourself and explain that today’s session is all about getting to know each other, exploring strengths, and setting a goal. Keep the tone friendly and relaxed.
Warm-Up Icebreaker
- Draw one card from the Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Cards.
- Read the prompt aloud and share your response.
- I’ll ask follow-up questions to learn more about you.
Explain the purpose of the icebreaker: to help both of you learn about each other. Encourage the student to be open and honest.
Discover Your Strengths
- Open your Strengths Reflection Worksheet.
- Identify 3–5 personal strengths (e.g., kind, creative, determined).
- Write an example of when you’ve used each strength.
Distribute the Strengths Reflection Worksheet. Guide the student gently through each prompt. Offer examples if they get stuck.
Talking About Your Strengths
• Let’s look at the strengths you listed.
• Which ones stand out to you?
• How do you feel when you use these strengths in your daily life?
Review the student’s list. Point out any patterns or unique strengths. Use affirming language to boost confidence.
Set Your Goal
- Open your Goal-Setting Worksheet.
- Choose one academic or personal goal.
- Write 2–3 action steps to reach it.
- Identify any challenges and how you might overcome them.
Hand over the Goal-Setting Worksheet. Encourage the goal to be specific, measurable, and achievable within a short time frame.
Next Steps
• Your top strength(s): __________
• Your goal: __________
• We’ll check in on your progress next time.
Great work today! I’m excited to continue our journey together.
Summarize what the student shared. Confirm when you’ll revisit the goal. End on a positive note with encouragement.
Activity
Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Cards
Use these cards to kick off your first counseling session and help the student feel comfortable sharing about themselves. Shuffle and let the student pick one at a time.
Cards:
- Superpower for a Day (card-superpower)
If you could have any superpower for a day, what would you choose and why? - Favorite Hobby (card-favorite-hobby)
What is your favorite hobby, and how did you start doing it? - Perfect Weekend (card-perfect-weekend)
Describe your perfect weekend. What activities would you do? - Personal Strength (card-personal-strength)
What is one thing you feel you’re really good at? - Dream Destination (card-dream-destination)
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? - Book or Movie (card-book-or-movie)
What’s the best book or movie you’ve enjoyed recently? What did you like about it? - School Goal (card-school-goal)
Share one goal you have for this school year. - Music Mood (card-music-mood)
What type of music do you enjoy, and how does it make you feel? - Famous Meeting (card-famous-meeting)
If you could meet any famous person (past or present), who would it be and why? - Secret Fun Fact (card-secret-fun-fact)
Tell me a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know.
Feel free to add follow-up prompts like “Tell me more about that…” or “Why does that matter to you?” to deepen the conversation and build rapport.
Worksheet
Strengths Reflection Worksheet
Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________
Think about your personal strengths. Strengths are things you’re good at or qualities you value about yourself. Identify 3–5 strengths below and give an example of when you’ve used each one.
- Strength #1:
Example (When I used this strength): - Strength #2:
Example (When I used this strength): - Strength #3:
Example (When I used this strength): - Strength #4 (optional):
Example (When I used this strength): - Strength #5 (optional):
Example (When I used this strength):
Reflection Questions
• Which of these strengths do you use most often? Why?
• How do you feel when you use your strengths?
• How can you use these strengths to help achieve a goal you set?
Great work! We’ll discuss these in our next session to help guide your goal setting and growth.
Worksheet
Goal-Setting Worksheet
Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________
1. My Goal
Think about one academic or personal goal you want to work on.
I want to: _________________________________
(Tip: Make it specific and clear. For example, “I want to read one new book each month,” or “I want to complete my math homework every day after school.”)
2. Why This Goal Matters to Me
Explain why this goal is important to you.
3. Action Steps
List 2–3 steps you will take to reach your goal. Be as detailed as you can.
- Step 1: ________________________________________________________
- Step 2: ________________________________________________________
- Step 3 (optional): _____________________________________________
4. Potential Challenges and Solutions
Identify things that might make it hard to reach your goal and how you’ll handle them.
• Challenge 1: _________________________________________________
How I’ll overcome it: _________________________________________
• Challenge 2 (optional): ________________________________________
How I’ll overcome it: _________________________________________
5. Support Network
Who can help you stay on track? (e.g., teacher, counselor, family member, friend)
- _______________________________________________________________
6. Timeline
By when will you complete this goal? Set a target date or timeframe.
Target date or timeframe: _______________________________________
7. Success Criteria
How will you know you’ve achieved your goal? What will success look like?
Great job setting your goal! We’ll review your progress in our next session and adjust as needed. Keep this worksheet somewhere you can see it often to remind yourself of your plan and stay motivated.