Problem Solving Strategies

Helping to resolve peer conflicts is a huge part of my daily job as a guidance counselor. With over 500 students under one roof, all of whom are still learning how to navigate social relationships and expectations, it's inevitable that conflicts will occur. And when they do, they are generally excellent teaching opportunities!

I have found that the vast majority of social conflicts occur because of miscommunications, not because of intentional meanness. Yet regardless, when they do occur, regardless of the reason, students are often upset. Therefore, we spend a lot of time talking about how to calm down, make good choices, and attempt to resolve the conflict on their own first, depending on the nature of the conflict.

We brainstorm a lot of different strategies and often use this visual as a nice reminder that we always have LOTS of options for how to respond!