For Counselors & Educators
The one who can't sit still in a room that requires sitting still.
The one who pushes back on everything. The one who gets labeled a
problem before anyone asks why.
What if the behavior wasn't the problem? What if they were just living
in spaces that had no room for who they actually are?
A Different Entry Point
By the time a student ends up in your office, a story has already been written about them. It usually explains what they do. It rarely explains why.
Who Are You? Finding the Way gives you a different entry point. Before the history. Before the labels. Before the file shapes your perception — hand them the cards. Let them sort. Let them find their five core values. Then go back and read the file. You will see something different.
The book is told as a story, because stories open hearts in ways that instructions never can. But it is built for professionals — with a Facilitator Guide, a 5-Day Classroom Curriculum, and a full Counselor's Toolkit already inside. Written for you. Ready to use.
Get the Book on Amazon"You are not here to fix people. You are here to help them see who they are — and help them find spaces where that person can exist without constant friction."
"A lot of the kids we label as problems are not problems at all. They are just kids whose lives do not fit who they actually are. Nobody has ever asked them who that is. Nobody has given them the cards."
"Start with values, not behavior. Before the file. Before the history. Hand them the cards. Let them sort. Let them find their Five Core Values. Then go back and read the file again. You will see something different."
"The most powerful thing you can do for a young person is not correct them. It is to ask them who they are. And believe the answer."
What's Inside the Book
You don't need a special certification. You don't need a workshop. You need a room, a set of cards, and the belief that the person sitting in front of you is not broken. Everything else is already in the book.
Prefer a print-ready version you can hand out today? All four resources below are now available as standalone, classroom-ready printables — with facilitator guides, student handouts, worksheets, and the full 100 Core Value Cards deck included. Shop them on Teachers Pay Teachers →
A complete values discovery workshop — ready to run with any group. No certification required.
Spreads the same process across three sessions over a week or two — built for advisory periods and small groups you see regularly but not daily.
A structured lesson plan that guides students through the full values discovery process over five class sessions.
Seven techniques for using values in counseling practice — from intake to crisis moments to family sessions.
The Counselor's Toolkit
Each protocol gives you a specific, practical tool for a specific moment. Use them individually or together — whatever the situation calls for.
Before the history. Before the labels. Hand them the cards. Let them find their five core values — then go back and read the file. You'll see something different.
Walk through the major areas of their life — school, home, peers, activities. Ask: where do these values have room? Where don't they? Help them see the gap.
Take a behavior that's been labeled as a problem and ask: what if this is a value trying to function in the wrong environment? Explain it. When behavior makes sense, people stop feeling broken.
Sometimes the conflict is internal — they want Freedom and Security, Belonging and Independence. Put both values on the table and ask: in this situation, which one matters more?
In high-emotion moments, start with recognition: "I know something important to you just got stepped on." Then ask: which of your values feels threatened right now? The question itself shifts the moment.
Let each person find their five core values. Create space for sharing. When people understand each other's values, the dynamic changes. The group begins to make sense.
Have both parent and student complete the process separately. Then bring them together. Each shares their five core values — no interruptions, no corrections. Then ask: where do these overlap? And where do they clash? Suddenly the conflict isn't personal. It's a values difference. And values differences have solutions.
Free Tools for Your Students
The values discovery process works with physical cards or digitally through the WAY app. Both are free for your students — no sign-up required for the cards, no cost for the app. Want facilitator guides, handouts, and worksheets built around them? Those are available as printable resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Free Download
The complete deck of 100 value cards as a printable PDF. Hand them to students, use them in your session, run the workshop. Print on any paper or on Avery perforated business card stock — no cutting required. Free. No sign-up required.
Free App · Google Play
Students can complete the full values discovery process on their own phone — at home, between sessions, or as a classroom exercise. Free to use. The app guides them through all 100 cards and saves their five core values. No cost. No barriers.
iOS coming soon.
Get the Book
Who Are You? Finding the Way is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. The Facilitator Guide, 5-Day Classroom Curriculum, and Counselor's Toolkit are all included in the book — no separate purchase needed to read them. One book. Every tool you need to begin.
Prefer print-ready worksheets, handouts, and the full 100 Core Value Cards deck bundled in? Get the standalone classroom and counseling printables on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Questions? Reach out here — Denise reads every message.