How much does a polar bear weigh?

Enough to break the ice!  One of the first steps of counseling is building a positive rapport with the student.  It is important for students to feel safe and trust the counselor as they begin to work together.  There are a number of ways to establish positive rapport, but here are a few of my favorite tools.

The Question Cup

  

I have a plastic cup full of Popsicle sticks with various questions.  The student and counselor each pick a certain number of sticks and both participants answer the questions.  To debrief, students share how they are similar to or different from the counselor and identify something new that they learned about the counselor.  Students may also ask questions that were not on the Popsicle sticks to learn more about their counselor.

Thumballs

Thumballs are stuffed balls with questions written on them.  You toss the Thumball to another player and answer the question under your left thumb.  You can purchase Thumballs with a variety of questions and topics.  Some of my favorites are the Personal Strengths Thumball and the Who are You Thumball.  You can purchase them here from YouthLight,Inc..  You can also make your own with an inflatable beach ball and a sharpie.  This is a great way to tailor the activity to a specific topic or group!

Play a Game

Playing a familiar game is a great way to help a student feel comfortable and open up.  When I have a student who is more resistant to counseling, I give them options for rapport building activities.  Nine times out of ten, they will pick the fun game and slowly but surely begin to open up.  Uno and Jenga are both great options!  

Building positive rapport sets the stage for the work of counseling and is one of the most important steps.