Maddy Francis: Counseling with Heart, Creativity, Compassion, and Advocacy

Matt Cundill  0:01  
This is from Plains to Peaks Counselors speak a podcast from the Colorado School Counselor Association.

Anna Gisetti  0:10  
I'm going to take a moment here to get real with you all. Not that every episode is in a Get Real moment, but I sure do love focusing on humor and the bright side of the coin. However, I found myself sinking into some sort of abyss lately, and from what I hear, it sounds like I'm not alone. And if any of you know me, you know that I love to tell people they're not alone, and it's not like I like love that other people are with me in this journey, but it is comforting to know that we're not alone Anywho. So I've taken some time to do some reflection and reminding myself of the point of this, all this all being my profession and school counseling. Last episode, I talked about how important it is to remind ourselves of the why this go around. It's the what the ASCA ethical standards do a beautiful job of guiding us through the what stripped from page one, the document says school counselors have unique qualifications and skills to implement a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses pre K through 12 students, academic career and social emotional development needs. School counselors are leaders, advocates, collaborators and consultants who create systemic change to ensure equitable educational outcomes through the school counseling program. School counselors demonstrate the belief that all students have the ability to learn by advocating for and contributing to an education system that provides optimal learning environments for all students. End quote, so remember, my colleagues, whatever is going on out there, we have a job to do. It's important. It's life impacting. It's to be taken seriously and it's to do well. And when you come to a point in the school year or your career where you find yourself not doing it well, like me recently, it's totally okay. In fact, I encourage it to reflect on why. Why is that happening? For me, it's that I got so overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, frustration and disappointment from the intake of news, conflict at work and student struggles, I got so overwhelmed that I found myself deep in the fatigues, you know, them, compassion fatigue, decision fatigue, lack of motivation and what got me through all that was having the time to reflect. So I encourage you all to give yourselves time to reflect, to rest, to recharge. I know you hear this all the time, but I'm going to keep saying it. We do no good for our students when we are not in Ship Shape condition, mentally and physically. So get out there and do the things that heal. You talk to a friend or a therapist, yoga, walks, breathing games, time with loved ones, furry and otherwise. Speaking of this, I was on a webinar this afternoon on educational equity in these times. They might have said in these turbulent times, but it was a fantastic webinar, and there were a couple reminders by the guest speakers that really stuck with me, a reminder to find one person right, start with one person to walk with you, and that doesn't mean to like go on walks with you, but who has the same like crusade or passion, and find that person and connect with them. And then, once you have built a pair, find another pair who walks that walk, and then you build from there and there, and then they're like before you know it, you have a coalition. So I really loved that, like finding your people and sticking with your people who get it. There was also the reminder to choose your battles. This has been an issue for me lately, choose your battles and be intentional about where we're spending our energy. It was just so good. So as I reflected on on that this afternoon, I was thinking about like, when my five year old nephew gets tired of walking. He's five, so to him, his body is a car. Everything's like car related. He calls his feet, his tires, and sometimes they get flat, but when he gets really tired, he'll say he's running really low on gas. Me too, buddy. Me too. So I'll work on refilling my gas tank by remembering that I, along with all of you, have unique qualifications and skills. We are leaders, advocates, collaborators and consultants. We have a critical role in the lives of our students and in our communities, we work for all students, and it's the right work. There's this great quote also that came up on the webinar, Maya Angelou, and they were like raising up Black History Month, huzzah, but raising it up. And this quote by Maya Angelou, you may encounter defeats, but you must never. Be defeated. So with that in mind, friends, be brave, shine through and keep going. Just keep going. All right. That being said, One such person who keeps going and embodies the job title is our guest today. I'm so excited to welcome to today's show Mattie Francis, the 2023 Colorado School Counselor of the Year. Mattie has been with CSCA Since 2021 and has been a stellar contributor and voice on the board. And she just came back from a trip to Washington DC honoring school counselors of the Year from across the nation. So very cool. Matty, welcome to from planes to peaks.

Maddy Francis  5:46  
Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here. I know I mentioned this earlier to you, but I have really enjoyed the podcast. It's been really fun, not only to hear about the work from CSEA, but I love the touch points you have at the beginning, I think they're so personal, and reminds everyone that this work is really valid and important, but also challenging, and we're there together. And I love the way that you put that,

Anna Gisetti  6:10  
oh, thank you. That's awfully kind of you to say. I'm gonna, like, melt away as I don't accept compliments very well. I'm working on saying thank you, and then just leaving it in there.

Maddy Francis  6:23  
Well, my face will turn feet red, and then we'll, we'll just do the thank you together. How about that?

Anna Gisetti  6:27  
Love it. Love it. How are you? How's life? How is Washington, DC? Good

Maddy Francis  6:33  
Life. Life is good. I've been kind of going through some changes professionally, and then just had the big trip to DC. So lots of big things happening, and I'm very excited about that. I loved, loved DC. It was so fun to be there around counselors, I mean, incredible counselors from all over the United States, and just hearing what they're doing in their programs and what they're bringing their schools like it was just so uplifting to be there and to hear what's going on. So yeah, really grateful for that opportunity.

Anna Gisetti  7:05  
Sounds amazing. I get excited anytime someone goes to Washington, DC, because that is where I spent those pivotal years of college slash University in DC. It was an amazing experience. So I love it. Are there any, like, memorable moments or highlights that you're that you took away with you from that trip? So many I

Maddy Francis  7:27  
really liked getting to know the counselors that are kind of in our area. So like the counselor from Wyoming was, she was awesome. Then I got to meet someone from totally across the United States, New Hampshire. Like they were all just so kind and wonderful. But just in addition to that, like my mom went out with me, and so we got to go sightseeing and do some fun things. At one point, we walked the whole mall. And I don't know why we thought that was a good idea, but, you know, it was, it was fun. And just being there, I like you said, DC is just an incredible place in itself. So really, really cool experience.

Anna Gisetti  8:00  
First of all, let me say huzzah to that. Like, yes, I imagine, like, any trip out where you have an experience like that and get to meet people in our profession from across the state and learn from them, amazing. I feel like people like, the mall is always bigger in real life than it is on TV, right? Yes, but so chock full of, like, amazing monuments and just the trees lining it. I mean, this time of year, they're probably not as beautiful as they are during cherry blossom season, I spent much time on the mall and so very fond memories, and I love that you got to go and with your mom. How special to be able to honor you all.

Maddy Francis  8:41  
Yeah, thank you. It was, it was definitely a good time. Next time I go, I'm gonna have to pick your brain on the places to go, because I definitely need some local recommendations next time.

Anna Gisetti  8:51  
Oh, well, the city has changed a lot. Mattie, since I was in college, many ago, many, many moons ago, the neighborhoods have changed, but some, I bet, are still the same, and I still have some really great friends out in that area. So yes, I would be delighted to send some recommendations your way. Okay, let's dive into it. You like, Okay, so you've listened to the podcast. You know that I always love to inform our listeners about the guests as humans and, you know, not just I'm this role in this leader and School Counselor of the Year, which is like, you know, for some of us, it seems so far reaching this pedestal, which is an amazing accomplishment. Yes, yet there's this, like, human side of Mattie. Like, who? Not? That other part isn't human, but who are you? Mattie? Like, where are you from? What's your story? Like, how did you land in education and school counseling?

Maddy Francis  9:50  
Yeah, well, I think you'll find I'm very human, but I am actually a Colorado native. I was born here. In Colorado Springs, born and raised, grew up in the district that I'm currently working in, so that was a really fun experience to be able to come back and work in the schools and the places that I grew up in. But I actually never had any intention of going into education. This was never on my list of things that I thought was gonna happen, and I started in college with my degree in dietetics. So I actually finished my bachelor's focusing on health sciences. What I really liked about it was kind of incorporating psychology into that, specifically for eating disorder counseling. And I was really interested in pursuing that. And the more I got into my master's for counseling. I started, you know, just kind of exploring different things. And at the time, I was coaching high school soccer for St Mary's High School here in the springs, I just fell in love with working with kids like I I never, in my wildest dreams thought that that would be something that I'd want to do professionally. But the more I did it, the more it's like, I want to be in schools, and I want to be where these kids are, like, they need they need someone there to not only just talk to but actually listen and be willing to help them kind of work through situations. And as I talked to them, I was like, this is this. Is it. And so I pivoted totally from clinical counseling and went to school counseling, and have not looked back like it's been incredible.

Anna Gisetti  11:26  
I love that. I don't think I knew that you coached soccer. Did you play soccer?

Maddy Francis  11:31  
Oh, many, many moons. Yeah. Okay. Like

Anna Gisetti  11:35  
that was my sport in high school, and then even as an adult, I played indoors. So I had, like, such a strong tie to soccer, and I love it. Huzzah, and kudos to you. Do you still coach at all? I

Maddy Francis  11:47  
do not currently, but now I'm hoping to kind of do it at the developmental level. I did a lot of club work and things like that, so I'm really hoping to get back with the little kids that way and do that. I blew out my knee playing soccer the day I turned 26 so the day I was off my parents interns, it was it went out.

Speaker 1  12:05  
So no like timing,

Maddy Francis  12:09  
so my days are done, but at least I can go help other people do it.

Anna Gisetti  12:13  
I love that. And also kudos to you for wanting to work at the developmental level. Same sister, same like, the pressure of, like, the higher levels. I'm just not built for that. Like i i will teach fundamentals and, yeah, to this

Maddy Francis  12:31  
level, and I'm a little too competitive, so I know myself enough to be like, No, I cannot go above development. So I need to be nice to the kids.

Anna Gisetti  12:42  
It does humble you, doesn't it amazing? And so through that experience and through your schooling, you were learning along the way that schools are where you wanted to be, you landed in your home space, which I adore as a person who moved around the country and transitioned to different schools, like, I don't know what that is like, and so whenever I hear that, I'm like, Oh, it sounds amazing. Like you get to give back to the community in which you were raised. And that's just a beautiful thing. Yeah,

Maddy Francis  13:17  
it's it's been really fun. So I ended up my my first job was in District 11, where I grew up in, and then I was at Monroe elementary school for six years, and absolutely loved it, and then just recently transitioned to a new role within district leadership. So now I'm the Project AWARE coordinator for district Eleven's future ready department. That means I just get to coordinate a lot of money and help get the resources to kids, and get, actually get counseling and mental health counseling to kids at pretty much every school within our district, which I'm very excited about.

Anna Gisetti  13:48  
And doesn't that just fulfill all of the things that I read in Aska ethical standards like you are checking off, not that they're boxes, but you're just like, live in that you are living, living that role, and it's so amazing, so amazing. Thank you. Thank

Maddy Francis  14:05  
you. It's been a really it's been a big transition. I definitely miss my kids, but it's, it's a really exciting opportunity.

Anna Gisetti  14:11  
Well, congratulations to you on that. I cannot wait to hear how things unfold in that position and how you're progressing and what you're learning through that that's amazing. Thank you. So Mattie, tell me how long and in, well, I set out how long when I did your intro, because so we know that you've been in CSCA Since 2021 How did you get involved in CSCA, and in what roles have you been since you've been involved in the association? Yeah,

Maddy Francis  14:43  
so I got involved in the 2021 2022 school year as an emerging leader. So it's an incredible program that CSCA offers to help bring people into the board and let them experience what CSCA is all about and the amazing work that they're doing across our. Eight for school counselors. And so I entered and was able to work with the PR committee. So anytime an emerging leader comes on, they can find different committees they're interested and jump into the work and kind of get their toes wet, if you want, want to use the term, yeah, I fell in love with the PR team, like the people I worked with, like Chris Lindsey, who you probably heard last week, if you were listening Shayla Reynolds, like, it's there. They were an incredible team and just doing awesome work to get out the information about what CSCA is all about. And so I kind of took over the social media side of that, which is so ironic, because I've never been a social media person in my entire life, which is, it's just funny, I fall into a lot of things, which is, like, I said, I'm so human, it's crazy. But yeah, so I have been on the PR team since 2021 and just recently took over chair for that, that committee, and have been just kind of doing all the social media business for the for the association.

Anna Gisetti  15:57  
Given what I've seen you accomplish through social media. I have a really hard time believing that you are not a social media person, because you are stellar. So thank you. On behalf of the Association, for all that you do. It's so great. Thank you. So you mentioned managing social media PR being the chair, and now that you've grown into that role, what does that role entail? And part two to that is you are incredibly busy. I never really like to say busy. I like to say we have full schedules. So you have an incredibly full schedule life, school like, school work, and then this on top of that. So part one, like, what does the role entail? And then how do you balance that among all the other things you have going on?

Maddy Francis  16:46  
The way I describe is, I'm just basically shining a light on all the incredible work CSCA is doing. Like, I'm just taking all of everybody else's amazing ideas and putting it out there for people to see. It's an honor for me to be able to say, hey, professional development is wanting to let you know about this incredible thing they've built. Or our government relations committee is doing all this work to advocate for you. Here's what they're doing. Like, I just love the opportunity to get to share that, and if I get to make a pretty Canva along the way, like, that's even better. I don't mind that at all. And I work really closely with all the different committees to just highlight their incredible work. And I think the more we can get that out there for people, the more they understand that there's so much behind the scenes work that is highlighting school counselors and trying to benefit the role and the students through the school counselor. Like really, the goal is to get students the best care and support possible. And CSCA really does the work for that.

Anna Gisetti  17:40  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, big breath. I'm like, my heart's melting because you're awesome. Okay, so do you consider yourself like a Canva queen? Oh

Maddy Francis  17:50  
yeah, I live in Canva I was gonna do before we got on here.

Anna Gisetti  17:56  
Okay, are you like self taught, or were you like, YouTube tutorial?

Maddy Francis  18:00  
Very self taught. I just like to play around. So basically, give me anything and I'll just, I'll goof around until I figure it out. So

Anna Gisetti  18:07  
genius, absolutely genius. Okay, awesome. Started in 2021 with the Association, have shifted from emerging leader to working with PR social media, and now are in the role of chair. What would you say is your favorite part of being involved with and being a leader in CSCA? You

Maddy Francis  18:33  
know, I think what stood out for me the most throughout this transition is prior to joining as an emerging leader, I really didn't know much about CSCA outside of the conferences like that was my touch point to CSCA, and then just getting to do this, like the all the people, and hearing their stories and what they're doing in their schools and across the state, it's that I think that is the best part, is that camaraderie and that community that you find here, and just the amount of resources that are available. I don't think people realize how much really comes from CSCA and what they have to offer. That has been the best part of just exploring what it means to be a school counselor in Colorado.

Anna Gisetti  19:10  
Okay, so let me ask you this emerging leader, love this program. It took me a while to figure out what it was, because I was like, Who are these people and but I love that there is this space that people can come on the association, come on the board as an emerging leader, and learn about everything, and then decide, do I want to stay? Do I want to go, like, what is this process all about? So it's kind of like getting your toes wet a little bit. How did you know about the Emerging Leaders Program and know to apply for it.

Maddy Francis  19:43  
What I'm finding from everyone I've talked to about it is it's comes word of mouth, like, truly, I heard about it from Sarah Wilson, who was our region 12 representative at the time. She encouraged me to apply. I know I've I personally have gone and told people you need to apply for this. Like I. And one thing that I think that stood out for me listening to Chris's episode last time was he said, You know, I didn't think it was for me, because I didn't know that. Like, could I do this? Am I an emerging leader in this, like, mythical CSCA? And I'm like, Oh no. Like, just try, just get into it and see what it's like. Like, it's just incredible community and opportunity.

Anna Gisetti  20:21  
It's so funny that you say that, because I feel like including myself and everybody that I've talked to, with probably the exception of Matthew, our esteemed Executive Director, so many of us that have, like, had that imposter syndrome, like, what the heck am I doing here? How did I get here? I got talked into this thing. Do I belong here? What do I have to contribute to this space? And we keep encouraging people like we all feel that way. We have all felt that way. Maybe we don't feel like it currently, because we have grown into the spaces we're in, but it is definitely worth a shot, isn't it? Absolutely,

Maddy Francis  20:56  
and I totally, like you said, imposter syndrome is real, like I totally felt it too, and I would not let you that hold you back, like you are going to be welcomed in and supported and given everything you need to succeed and thrive and contribute to school counseling so, you know, give it a try.

Matt Cundill  21:18  
From planes to peaks. Counselor, speak continues.

Anna Gisetti  21:23  
All right, so I'm feeling the I'm feeling the passion for the work. What are some of your favorite parts about school counseling?

Maddy Francis  21:32  
I mean, for me, it hands down into the kids, like I, I could geek out all day long talking about my kids from the T in fourth grade to the groups, personal space camp in kindergarten. Like, I love getting to work with kids. It's my number one like thing that I look forward to every day. And having stepped out of the school just recently, I'm missing it, like, passionately missing it right now I go back just to get hugs, like, but yeah, just, I think, just the work and seeing how much they grow and change over time, I think that's one thing I loved about Elementary is we came from kindergarten to fifth grade, and that's some significant development. Like, I was talking to a fifth grader just the other day, because this was my group. This was the group I carried all the way through, and I was like, Oh, you, you were this little, and now you're three inches taller than me. How did that happen?

Anna Gisetti  22:23  
That carries on. I think I've talked about that. But even, you know, through middle I think all of us feel that at whatever level we're in, the changes from when we first get them to when they leave us is quite a difference. Is quite a difference, whether you know, whether it's the three inches in growth or their maturity levels or just growing into the little humans that they are. And you know, when they're so tall at five years old to 10, it's amazing, absolutely. Tell me a little bit about personal space camp, like what

Maddy Francis  22:53  
it is the Oh, it's the cutest thing. So basically, we let them be astronauts for the like three weeks that we do it, I have them practice being rotating planets, using hula hoops to learn about their space. And you don't want the planets to collide, so they have to stay inside their hula hoop. It's just, it is the cutest thing. And then, of course, we sing the boundaries song. It's very elementary and very adorable.

Anna Gisetti  23:18  
Where does one learn about such things like this, because I know elementary school counselors, at least in my experience, have been fewer and farther in between. Not every district has them, but where? Yeah, what resources or training like, where do you get? Where do you get this info? Or did you make it up?

Maddy Francis  23:39  
Yeah, you know, I did make personal space camp up just based on a need that I was seeing there. I don't know, we just we saw a need. And I think that something I love about the elementary level, and it's a challenge, kind of, like you mentioned, there aren't as many resources at the elementary level to meet those needs. There's definitely things and resources on Teachers Pay Teachers that can be really good and beneficial, but I have found that I get to be very creative at the elementary level. I get to make, kind of make, kind of make things up on the fly. And that's something I love about school counseling, is you get to be as creative as you want to be, and really work with it.

Anna Gisetti  24:12  
School Counselor of the Year, y'all like Mattie Francis, that is so freaking creative. I adore it. And that is, I mean, I spent, like, a very, very, very, very tiny amount of time working with the elementary kiddos, and did not really have the time or space because of the situation I was in to really sink into it and dive into it, and that way, I think I was more like handing out tissues to children who are crying because they miss their mama in the morning at drop off. So we really didn't get to spend a lot of time being in those creative spaces, but I adore that. So Mattie, Teachers Pay Teachers. Excellent resource. Are there any, like, elementary school counselor specific books that you like, or trainings or professional development that you've been to that has been like, ah? Ah, this is like a gold mine

Maddy Francis  25:02  
that really isn't school counseling related, but I found I really needed my role was the teacher's encyclopedia for behavior management, if you can believe it, because what I have found is, as an elementary counselor, you kind of have to be a jack of all trades. You have to be willing to get your hands into MTSS and behavior support, and basically anything that a child could need, a school counselor the elementary has to be able to provide, because there's really no one else at that level to do it. And I'm sure it's the same and at the other levels too, because you really have to do everything. But that was one like resource that just kind of fell into place for me. And then, like I'm a we currently use random acts of kindness as our tier one curriculum in District 11, and I've really enjoyed rolling that out at my school and seeing it make a cultural difference for our students. But then beyond that, like zones of regulation is probably one of my all time favorites, and I would recommend, especially at the elementary level, any kind of emotional regulation work we can do will help the kids in the long run, especially as they get to the middle school and high school level.

Anna Gisetti  26:09  
Too true, and it's interesting, like, when they've had that kind of curriculum or lessons in that space that is a language that they will come to us with so much, then

Maddy Francis  26:20  
you can tell like you knew your school counselor didn't you

Anna Gisetti  26:24  
love it. So Mattie, I'm gonna include some of those resources in the show notes for people, and some links to resources, the random acts of kindness, zones of regulation. So tell me a little bit about when you because I know you're in this new position, but let's think back to like even two three months ago. What was your administrator counselor relationship like, and how did that support the work that you were doing in the school?

Maddy Francis  26:53  
You know, I think this is one most important and impactful relationships that a school counselor can develop within their building. My principal with the last this current school year. It was new to our school, so I was really just building that foundation with her prior that I my principal that I had for five years during kind of the core of my my career there was phenomenal, like I was so lucky. And I know a lot of people are kind of probably rolling their eyes, because it's not everyone's experience, but I was so blessed to have a principal that really champions my work and specifically all student development, like she looked at the whole child and wanted that for her entire school culture. So she was she was great, and I was really lucky that she was my first principal. And it was the same thing with my my first AP that I had, like, just having principals that are on board for the work that you do is incredible. And that being said, like we didn't agree on everything, and there were definitely things that maybe they thought I should be doing that weren't my role, but it was building that mutual respect for our expertise and what we came to the table with that I think, really helped, kind of have those conversations when things got a little confusing or dicey, and then just in general, like she knew that I was there for the child, and it was the same thing for for me. I had, I had no doubt in my mind that she wanted the best for for kids, and having that kind of mutual respect and shared value just made all the difference.

Anna Gisetti  28:21  
I'm actually heading into a space soon where I get to talk about the administrator and counselor relationship and how that can really impact and affect change in a school building.

Maddy Francis  28:34  
I out this is gonna nerd me out totally, but I often think about it as, like, Star Trek. You know, you have the captain of the ship, but you always have the counselor like right next to the captain. They go hand in hand,

Anna Gisetti  28:46  
as mentioned a couple times, Mattie, you are the 2023 School Counselor of the Year, Colorado School Counselor of the Year. What has that honor award meant to you?

Maddy Francis  29:00  
It has been such a wild ride and so humbling, like truly, as I mentioned earlier, I turn bright red when the attention is on me. I'm the kind of person that likes to be in the background. I don't, don't like attention, and just being recognized in that way, and having people like my principal and district leadership champion my work enough to get me to a place where I was even nominated. It just humbles you beyond belief, knowing that people think that you're doing a good job and that you can see that impact in your school community is is great, and then to be selected and nominated by CSEA and all the people that I respect and value like, it just it's been so cool.

Anna Gisetti  29:43  
Obviously, Mattie, that award has been super well deserved. Just listening to you talk about your creativity, what you have brought to the field, what you brought to your school, your relationship with your administrators, your involvement on the board, it's just been phenomenal. And I. Think that you are someone for the rest of us to look up to, and it's really admirable. Now I know like I see you like other people can't see you, but I can see you right now, and remember, with compliments, we're like, Thank you. Thank you. No, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. You know, really, you are remarkable. I feel like I right. We don't know each other that well, having spent a couple years on the board together, but I can't wait to continue to work alongside you and do the good work with you

Maddy Francis  30:33  
same here. Thank you.

Anna Gisetti  30:38  
I know you transitioned to this new space and the opportunity that you have to contribute to the students welfare in the way of mental health, chef's kiss like phenomenal before you got to that space. What would you say are some of the accomplishments that you're most proud of stemming from your elementary school counseling years,

Maddy Francis  31:02  
one of the biggest ones that stands out is just the cultural shift that we saw within our school when I first got there. We the year that I was there, we had about 200 behavior referrals between August to March. So we didn't even finish the whole year, because my first year was the COVID year, so we were seeing a significant amount of behavioral needs and most regulation needs, like it was insane. So this year when I left, I mean, we were at 25 when I left, like it just seeing the change within the building, and I'm not going to take full credit for that, like I said, I had an incredible administration. I had amazing teachers that I worked with that made it all possible. But just seeing the cultural shift in kids was huge. And one programming that came out of that, that I was really passionate about was I used heart rate watches that actually turned colors with the kids heart rate as it increased, and it mimicked the zones regulation colors. And so they're from IHT USA. I happy to link that for you too. So you have that. But I started using that three years ago, and almost immediately, when that went in, my kids that were my highest flyers and most need, started decreasing incredibly, but not just like for behavior calls. What I saw was that their base heart rate went down. They they had really high, elevated heart rate at the beginning, and then by the end of groups and putting in zones regulation curriculum, they were having normal heart rates just like anybody else. And it was so cool to see. And what I love is they, they like took it on. They called themselves the heart rate groups, or heart rate boys, if it was one of my boys groups, they like would come and tell me, like, Hey, I'm still blue. I'm still doing good, like it was just the cutest thing, and it made such a difference for those kids

Anna Gisetti  32:46  
folks. Another genius idea brought to you by Mattie Francis. I can't wait to access that link that we will be putting in the show notes. And love that it coordinates with a curriculum. It's evidence based, so just phenomenal. And what a cool thing, especially for boys to be able to talk, you know,

Maddy Francis  33:06  
oh yeah, for them to see that mind body connection, I think really made the difference. Genius.

Anna Gisetti  33:12  
Okay, so Mattie, I spoke earlier about feeling overwhelmed like I was in a fog and saw myself on the brink of falling into a despair abyss. Have you ever felt like that? And if so, what helped you work through it like what are some ways that you tackle compassion fatigue or that secondary traumatic stress that we in this serving profession are at risk for

Maddy Francis  33:46  
I kind of laughed myself. What's so ironic about last year, 2000 being the 2023 Colorado School Counselor of the Year was last year, I was really going through all of the things you're describing, and then all of a sudden, I was announced as the color High School Counselor of the Year. And in my mind, I'm sitting there thinking, but I have compassion fatigue, like I am struggling here, like I don't know that this is the right is this the right time? Is this the right thing? Like it was, it was really ironic for the place that I was at when I was acknowledged for this. And definitely, you know, imposter syndrome came on strong, and I think that contributed to it. But for me, one of the hardest things that I struggle with is asking for help. I'm very independent, and I think that lends itself to being an elementary counselor, because you are it, and you are you are the one and you provide it. But I had to really kind of humble myself, and I was very fortunate that my principal at the time saw that I wasn't quite myself, and reached out and offered to get me, you know, connected to help and resources. And she was just walked alongside me, kind of like you mentioned, like we don't have to do this alone. And I was so fortunate to have leadership that would even do that, like I. Know, in the middle of everything else that she had going on, she reached out, and that was incredibly important. And then from there, like, you know, had to take care of myself and as something I know, as school counselors, we are not good at we're good at telling everybody else to take care of themselves, but we ourselves. I'm generalizing here, but we're not good at it. So I did. I went to therapy. I definitely sought a lot of lot of help for what I was feeling going through. I had to slow down on a few things professionally. So like my one of my pride and joys is to do as many groups as possible to get as many students. And I did have to slow down a little bit on how many I was doing and just kind of reassess how I was working, because I was burning myself out, and it wasn't anybody else's responsibility to fix that. It was. It was something I had to address, and the way I was letting people reach me and use my services, and how I had to take care of myself in that process too.

Anna Gisetti  35:55  
What a way to be vulnerable and self awareness is not easy. Like to be able to do some introspection and be honest with ourselves about the space that we're in and the help that we need is an act of courage and bravery.

Maddy Francis  36:12  
Yeah, and I definitely, I bring it up because I do think, as school counselors, it's easy to hide behind the fact that we feel we have to be there to fix everybody else and to solve things for everybody else. But if you're starting to feel those signs and symptoms, I think that's your body's way of telling you, like, Hey, we got to fix something. Right? Doesn't mean you're a bad counselor. It doesn't mean you're not good at the job. It just means that we got to fix something and how we're doing it.

Anna Gisetti  36:38  
Amen. A men, 100% and if you're not like an amen person, then indeed, oh, amen, mic drop person, like a Mic drop. Wise words. Again, it goes back to kind of what I was talking about in the beginning, of feeling that space of, I don't want to sink into despair, which is like, super hopeless or feeling helpless, but sometimes I feel like we're just on the brink of that. And with a little bit of help, someone extending a helping hand, realizing that you don't seem yourself, or things seem off, like just asking the question, like, how powerful is that? How amazingly powerful makes all the difference sometimes, and we counselors need that from other people too, right? Like, like you said, we often are like the fixers and the helpers. So we don't do well generalizing and accepting that help from other people, but sometimes it's what we need the most. So to acknowledge that is, I think, rooted in a lot of like bravery and courage. Mattie, I have loved our time. I have loved chatting with you. You are a wealth of knowledge. You are phenomenal human. I can just like feel your spirit, like your good spirit coming through the screen and the microphone right now. Is there anything else I don't know, any final advice or tidbits that you want to share with with our listeners today? You

Maddy Francis  38:09  
know one thing that I was in a new counselors panel not too long ago, and one thing that I didn't get to say, but I wish I had, is just to remember, it's this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. I mean, while we need to get as much as we can into a school year at the same time, like we're building programs for the long run, and don't feel like you have to do everything in one week year or even one day.

Anna Gisetti  38:32  
Yes, I remind my team often along those lines, that sometimes just planting seeds is like we have to make sure the soil is even ready for us to plant the seeds before we can get the good work done. So Huzzah, I love that. Mattie as a listener of a podcast episode or two, you know that I love to ask about mascots? Okay, so d 11, High School in D 11. What was your mascot? So

Maddy Francis  39:03  
I started at Mitchell High School, and we were the Mitchell marauders. And then I transferred to St Mary's High School, who were the pirates. So basically we were thieving people,

Anna Gisetti  39:13  
thieving people. That is so fantastic. How do you fare against my fighting kangaroo? Mattie, oh, you

Maddy Francis  39:24  
know, I have a feeling the kangaroos could kick us,

Anna Gisetti  39:29  
because they're ethical. We're ethical kangaroos, and so marauding, marauding, stealing people like, yeah, like, we're let's go half

Maddy Francis  39:40  
the time anyway. So you win. Huzzah. Huzzah.

Anna Gisetti  39:43  
I feel like we'd have a fighting chance those kangaroos. That's right. Mattie, thank you so much for your time today. Again, it's just been a pleasure. You're a phenomenal human, an excellent role model, and someone that we can learn so. Much more from so I look forward to continued conversations with you. So like many of the other guests, do not be surprised if I call you up again to tap into your brain, that creative brain is genius and yeah, it's just been a pleasure having you on the show today.

Maddy Francis  40:16  
Thank you so much for having me on this has been great,

Anna Gisetti  40:20  
awesome to our friends and colleagues out there. Be well people know that you're not alone. Be kind to yourself. Do something nice for yourself today, whatever time of day it is, do something nice is it going outside and and getting a good breath of fresh air, taking in the sights, giving yourself a hug, doing butterfly hugs. We're going to talk about like some self care things soon, but yeah, whatever it is, take some time to do right by you today. And just in case you need the reminder you are freaking awesome. That's it for us today, from planes to peaks, counselors speak. Looking forward to chatting with you the next time love you that was awesome.

Matt Cundill  41:04  
You've been listening to from planes to peaks, counselors speak a podcast from the Colorado School Counselor Association. For more resources, including frequently asked questions and professional development, go to coloradoschool counselor.org

Tara Sands  41:19  
produced and distributed by the sound off media company in.