Dr. Cher Edwards has been a Counselor Educator for over 25 years and is currently on faculty at Seattle Pacific University. Before moving to Washington, she was a counselor and counselor educator in Ohio, where she served on the State Board of Education and held leadership roles in several professional associations.

In Washington, Dr. Edwards has served on the national board of Counselors for Social Justice, founded Washington Counselors for Social Justice, and has held leadership positions with the Washington School Counselor Association (WSCA). She also advises the Sigma Phi Upsilon chapter of Chi Sigma Iota.

Her scholarship focuses on school counseling, supervision, multicultural competency, and social justice. She is the co-author of Group Counseling in the Schools and has published widely in counseling journals, book chapters, and reviews. She has presented at state, national, and international conferences, and received the O’Hana Award from the American Counseling Association for her social justice advocacy.

Sometimes the smallest bites make the biggest impact. This interactive workshop dives into the snacks, the small, intentional moves that educators, advisors, and community leaders can take to bring student voice to the forefront. From a quick classroom practice to a short agenda item at a staff meeting, these little shifts can stack up to a feast of student empowerment. If you’ve ever wondered how to amplify student voice without adding one more “big” thing to your plate, this session is for you. Come hungry for fresh ideas, leave full of small, doable strategies that will have a big impact on your school and community culture.

This interactive post-conference session is designed to help school counselors confidently start the new school year using the updated fifth edition of the ASCA National Model as their foundation. Part learning, part working session, participants will be supported in identifying school counseling data priorities, writing an achievement gap plan, and beginning their student standards delivery plan. Counselors will also have protected work time to draft or seek guidance on additional ASCA model components such as the annual administrative conference and the use-of-time calculator. Built-in opportunities for collaboration will allow participants to share ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another. This session is ideal for individuals or school counseling teams who want time, tools, and support to plan together. By the end, attendees will leave with meaningful progress toward a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program aligned with both student needs and the revised model.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• develop an understanding of the key components and updates in the fifth edition of the ASCA National Model and how they support comprehensive, equity-driven school counseling programs.
• apply key components of the ASCA National Model, fifth edition, to identify school counseling data priorities and draft aligned program planning tools.
• strengthen their comprehensive programs through collaboration with colleagues and other participants.