Unlocking AI: A New Ally for Supporting Students

Picture this: You’re sitting in your school counseling office, your white noise machine humming, a neverending to-do list at hand, and a list of students to check in with before the day ends. The needs are vast, and your time is finite. But now imagine you have an assistant – one that works tirelessly, processes data faster than you can blink and helps you connect more deeply with students. That assistant? Artificial intelligence (AI). No, it’s not replacing your warm smile or empathetic ear. Instead, it’s here to amplify your impact, streamline your work and create space for what you do best: building relationships and guiding students through challenges.

AI offers innovative ways to support students’ academic and social/emotional development. Let’s explore how this technology is reshaping our profession, with real-life applications of AI tools like Diffit, ChatGPT, Gamma, Magic School AI and Adobe Creative Tools.

1. Providing Equitable Support with Diffit

Diffit helps school counselors create tailored lessons that meet diverse student needs by allowing them to adjust content complexity, reading levels and formats to suit different learning styles. The tool supports differentiated instruction through tiered materials, visual aids and scaffolding, making lessons accessible and engaging for all students. School counselors can integrate social/emotional learning objectives, ensure cultural relevance and save time while maintaining high-quality, inclusive content. By using Diffit, counselors can provide equitable support, fostering both academic and social-emotional growth for every student.

2. Enhancing Communication and Support with ChatGPT

As a school counselor, your communication skills are one of your greatest strengths. ChatGPT can help you make those communications more efficient and engaging. Draft thoughtful emails to parents, brainstorm ideas for group counseling activities or create relatable SEL exercises tailored to specific student needs. ChatGPT is also excellent for crafting resources like step-by-step guides on managing anxiety or preparing for college interviews.

3. Creating Stunning Presentations with Gamma

Gamma transforms complex information into visually engaging presentations. Use this tool to create interactive slides that showcase academic planning steps, career pathways or SEL strategies for parents and students. Its AI features help you quickly structure and format content so you can focus on delivering the message. For example, you can visually map out a student’s journey from high school coursework to their dream career in a way that inspires and motivates them. Imagine using Gamma to build a presentation showing a student their academic trajectory, career options and next steps. With intuitive infographics and engaging visuals, you can break down pathways into bite-sized, actionable pieces that inspire students to take charge of their futures.

4. Supporting School Counselors with MagicSchool AI

With MagicSchool AI, you can generate customized resources – handouts, workshop materials, brochures – on topics like mental health, college readiness or conflict resolution, saving time and ensuring the materials are relevant to students' needs. The program also gives access to tools to create or analyze student assessment surveys, including SEL assessments or career interest inventories. MagicSchool AI can assist in planning counseling sessions by providing outlines, discussion prompts or activities tailored to specific issues such as anxiety management or grief support, helping you deliver effective and structured sessions.

Finally, MagicSchool AI can also assist in developing pre-/post-assessments to enhance data collection.
Administrative tasks often eat into the time you’d rather spend directly supporting students. Magic School AI offers tailored solutions, from generating individualized support plans to analyzing attendance and behavior trends. For example, if you’re crafting a letter of recommendation, Magic School AI can provide a structured draft based on key information about the student. This streamlines your workflow and frees you to focus on meaningful interactions.

5. Designing Engaging Visuals with Adobe Creative Tools

Visual communication plays a critical role in school counseling. Tools like Adobe Express and Adobe Photoshop make creating professional-grade materials effortless, even if design isn’t your specialty. Need a flyer for a mindfulness workshop? Or an infographic to explain coping strategies? Adobe’s AI-driven templates and tools help you create resources that grab attention and make an impact, ensuring your messages resonate with students and families.

The Human–AI Partnership

These AI tools aren’t here to replace you, but to help you. They simplify time-consuming tasks, enhance communication and provide resources that resonate with students. Most important, they create more time for you to do what you do best: connect with students, support their growth and guide them toward success.

As school counselors, we’re used to adapting to new challenges and opportunities. Embracing AI isn’t about losing the human touch; it’s about amplifying it. With these tools, you’ll have the capacity to reach more students, provide deeper support and help every student thrive in a world full of possibilities.

“Hey ChatGPT, can you create me an amazing closing line for this article to share with Lone Star State School Counselor Association members?”
As we stand at the crossroads of innovation and compassion, let’s embrace AI as a tool that empowers us to do what we do best – guide, inspire, and uplift every student. Together, with the heart of a school counselor and the efficiency of technology, we can redefine what it means to support our students and communities in this ever-evolving world.

Dyann Wilson is the school counselor for Brabham Middle School in Willis ISD and board secretary for the Lone Star State School Counselor Association.