National School Counseling Week: Book Recommendations

Guest Contributor

Sean Bland, M.S.

The 4th Marking Period, A Memoir of an African American Male Guidance Counselor

by Richard L. Wilson, Jr.

This was one of the first books I received after becoming a counselor. This very short work helped me to feel like I was not alone with what I was thinking everyday, especially when there are so few African American men in the field.

Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life

by Ron Clark

I have long been a member of one team or another, and every time that I re-read this book, I always think about how I am helping to “move the bus,” and whether or not I am taking advantage of people “running” or if I am keeping up with them.

Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life

by Gary John Bishop

A fun read to find out if you are getting in your own way. If you are, you are encouraged to move in another direction to fix it.

24 Shades of Business: A Coloring Book for the Black Entrepreneur’s Soul

by Latoya Nicole

This book is a new edition to my bookshelf, and such a great book to have. Sometimes you just need to color your feelings away. And I get to support another young black counselor/therapist while I am at it...what is there not to like?

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

by Steven Pressfield

I believe it took me a few readings of this book before I actually started making changes. This book aims to help those who need a jump start from a fixed mindset, to a more flexible mindset. After reading and implementing change, one tends to feel better about the steps that they are taking towards wellness.

Guest Contributor

Mr. Sean Bland, M.S., is a teacher and coach turned counselor and mentor from a family of educators and adolescent servants. His career began as a teaching assistant in Maryland and DC public schools before graduating from Morehouse College. Sean then went on to study at Columbia University Teachers College and Johns Hopkins University in the initial cohort of the School Counseling Fellows Program.

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