Unit: Counselor Identity Lab Page 2 of 4

Counselor Identity Lab PD Participant Workbook

Part 3: The Values Sieve

Selecting the unshakeable principles that guide our day-to-day work, program delivery, and service standards.

We cannot stand for everything simultaneously. Review these potential professional values. Step 1: Circle/check exactly five values. Step 2: From those five, filter them down to your Top Three.

Equity & Access

Student Agency

Systemic Advocacy

Holistic Wellness

Growth Mindset

Data-Driven Action

Collaborative Unity

Empathy & Grace

Future Preparedness

Restorative Justice

Ethical Excellence

Authentic Belonging

My Personal Anchor Three Values

State your final three core values and write a single phrase explaining how this value shows up in your daily counseling behavior.

1

Value Name

2

Value Name

3

Value Name

Reflection: Are our shared values visible to our students, or are they hidden in a binder?

Unit: Counselor Identity Lab Page 3 of 4

Counselor Identity Lab PD Participant Workbook

Part 4: Shared Department Creed

Synthesizing our individual values and aligned duties into a shared, public-facing identity declaration.

Drafting Our Formula

Collaboratively write sentences that will form our public department standard. Fill out these drafts in your group.

1. We Are (Who are we as an integrated professional unit?)

"As school counseling professionals, our identity is built on..."

2. We Serve (Who is our audience, and what do we promise them?)

"We guarantee that every student in our 8-12 site will receive..."

3. By / So That (What is our delivery, and what is the ultimate impact?)

"We deliver this by keeping 80% of our time direct, so that students can..."

Department Action Items (Post-PD)

Detail exactly who is carrying this work forward to align with administrators.

Unit: Counselor Identity Lab Page 4 of 4

2

The Hard Boundaries Discussion (15 minutes)

Transition to Slide 5 (Boundaries). Ask the room to call out what tasks they sorted under "Non-Counseling Duties." Write them on a whiteboard. Use the script below to frame boundary setting without creating hostility with leadership.

Facilitation Alert: Handling Department Pushback

Pushback: "We have to do testing, there is literally nobody else in our high school building who knows how to coordinate state testing."
Response Framework: Acknowledge reality, but redirect focus. "We agree that testing has to happen. But today we are declaring that when we coordinate testing, we are acting as testing administrators, not counselors. Our goal is to document this leakage so we can build a long-term plan with our principal to offload it."

Key Insight for Slide 5 Transitions:

Draw a line between "duties" and "mission." Duties are what we do because of administration; values are what we protect because of kids. Use this transition to step into the Values Sieve.

Unit: Counselor Identity Lab Page 2 of 3

Counselor Identity Lab Facilitator Professional Resource

Part 3 Facilitator Guide

Sieving department core values, synthesis of the Creed, and planning operational integration.

Segment 3

Values, Creed, & Action Plan (Slides 6-8)

Duration: 30 Minutes

The visual theme of the "Values Sieve" helps narrow down a laundry list of pleasant words (like "nice", "supportive") into clear strategic pillars. Use this final segment to anchor the entire session into operational action.

Step 1: The Sifting Process (Workbook Page 3 | 10 minutes)

Ensure counselors work individually first, picking 5 values, then filtering down to 3 with brief written justifications. In the last 4 minutes, poll the room for consensus. Focus on identifying overlap (e.g., "Equity" and "Systemic Advocacy" can combine).

Step 2: Creed Drafting (Workbook Page 4 | 15 minutes)

Using the structured sentence frames, let groups draft their own formulas. Have each group write their drafts on a whiteboard or chart paper. Look for common threads. Guide the room to combine drafts into one official master Creed.

Essential Post-PD Admin Steps (Next Weeks)

• • Schedule a 1-on-1 Admin Alignment: Book a session with the lead high school administrator. Use the sorted role chart from Workbook Page 2 to show the data of non-counseling tasks.
• • Publicly Display the Creed: Print the finalized Creed. Hang it in the lobby of the counseling center. This establishes clear expectations for parents, teachers, and students.
• • Use values as a shield: When asked to do non-counseling tasks, frame the decline using the values. ("This task is non-counseling, which takes us away from our core value of Holistic Student Wellness.")

Unit: Counselor Identity Lab Page 3 of 3