Loom Bands and Counseling

 

Loom Bands are the new craze and students are wearing them as bracelets, belts, headbands, necklaces, suspenders, and lanyards.  I was inspired by the students' creativity and thought about how I could use these in my counseling work with students.  Here are some of the ways I have been using Loom Bands lately:

 

• Grief Counseling: I allow the student to pick out a color that represents them, a color that represents their loved one, and a charm that reminds them of their loved one.  While the student is making their Loom Band, we talk about their special person.  Once the bracelet is complete, we talk about how the bracelet can be a way to honor and remember their loved one.
• Friendship Groups:  A fun way to wrap up a small group on friendship and social skills is by having the students make bracelets for one another.  This is a way to celebrate the work and serves as a reminder of the skills that were taught in the group.
• Helping students with Impulse Control: One strategy I often use with students who are struggling with impulse control is "Stop, Think, Choose".  A Loom Band with red, yellow, and green can be made and worn as a reminder to stop and think before acting.
• Termination: I have had a few students ask if they can create a Loom Band in their final counseling sessions.  We create Loom Bands while we process the termination.  At the end, the student has a Loom Band that they can take with them that will remind them of the work they did in counseling.

I make sure to talk with students about appropriate use of the Loom Bands in class so they do not become a distraction.  So far, all of the students have loved making them and there have not been any problems with them becoming distractions.  YouTube is full of videos to teach you how to make these and I think I'm ready to start learning the intermediate level designs!

You can buy your Loom Band Kit on Amazon and learn how to make the fishtail Loom Band on YouTube.