Kati LeBeau, PLPC, NCC

02/03/2026

There’s trauma, and then there’s feeling alone in trauma, which compounds the experience. Resilience is built through connection, and it can make all the difference in healing. 🫶🏼

02/02/2026

It’s National School Counseling Week 🎉

It’s hard to fully put into words what a School Counselor adds to the school experience — for both students and staff.

We are often the one person everyone can count on for a safe space and unwavering support, at any moment of the day. And sometimes, protecting that safe space means standing boldly to keep it intact.

Our work lives in the balance — knowing when a child needs to be challenged and when they simply need comfort. We hold everyone’s fears, worries, and insecurities every day, and we pour our hearts into helping students and staff turn those struggles into strength.

We don’t work in silos. We build a safety net around each child by collaborating with parents, teachers, therapists, and administrators — all working toward one shared goal: helping students reach their highest potential.

School Counselors equip students for life, not just for the years they sit in our classrooms. We help build their inner foundation so they can withstand the waves life inevitably brings.

And when crisis hits, we step to the center — calm and grounded on the outside, even when we feel everything on the inside.

This work is quiet. It’s emotional. It’s complex.
And it is an absolute privilege. 🤍

01/28/2026

“Snitching” or Self-Respect? A powerful discussion amongst today’s group of fourth grade scholars…

Today my students shared that they’re afraid to report someone being mean. In the words of one student, “My mama didn’t raise no snitch.” And to them, snitching equals one thing: social risk.

They’re afraid that if they speak up, they’ll be rejected. Laughed at. Left out. Labeled.

So we reframed it.

Speaking up when someone is hurting you or others isn’t betrayal — it’s self-respect. It’s choosing to address harmful behavior without becoming harmful yourself.

Yes, there can be a lonely stretch when you start standing up for yourself. Sometimes you outgrow people who only felt comfortable when you stayed silent.

But that loneliness is a transition, not a destination. It’s a phase of growth, and it doesn’t last forever.

If someone rejects you for protecting your safety, peace, or dignity, they weren’t a safe friend to begin with. That’s not a loss — it’s clarity.

Teaching kids that their voice matters might not make them popular, but it helps them stay whole and withstand the inevitable social risk we all must learn to endure.

01/22/2026

Teaming up with some great people and bringing the best mental health care! 👏🏼

Here at MTG, we believe in comprehensive mental health care. We provide therapy as therapist and collaborate with a trusted Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Westside Mental Health for medication management when our patients need it. Together, we support your healing journey.

Westside Mental Health, LLC

01/22/2026

01/22/2026

01/20/2026

✨ Today’s fifth-grade conversation on self-respect was so powerful I had to share. ✨

My students were asked:
If we know self-respect leads to positive outcomes, why don’t people operate from self-respect more often?

Here’s what they said:

💭 “Maybe people are going through things at home.”
We talked about the importance of grace, while also recognizing that hard circumstances don’t excuse harmful behavior.

💭 “Maybe they let their emotions control them.”
We discussed how letting emotions lead gives others power over us—like handing someone a leash and letting them yank it.

💭 “Maybe they’ve been bullied.”
That led to a powerful image. One student compared it to a line of dominoes—how disrespect creates a cycle. They were challenged to be the domino that stops the cycle.

Moments like this remind me how much wisdom lives in our kids when we give them space to think, speak, and grow. 💛

01/14/2026

I’m seeing something come up again and again—with my own kids and with my students.

So many kids are afraid to try.
Afraid to speak up.
Afraid to fail.
Afraid to be laughed at.

The fear of being made fun of is keeping them stuck in their comfort zones.

Here’s the truth: our job isn’t to remove negativity. There will ALWAYS be opinions, criticism, and unkindness. Our job is to prepare our kids to handle it.

What to say to your child to help them build confidence:

• “You can do hard things, even when people have opinions.”
• “Someone else’s reaction doesn’t get to decide your worth.”
• “Being uncomfortable doesn’t mean you’re unsafe.”
• “Trying and being laughed at is braver than never trying at all.”
• “Confidence comes after you practice, not before.”
• “You don’t need everyone to like you to believe in yourself.”
• “What matters most is that you’re proud of how you showed up.”

Confidence isn’t built by avoiding discomfort.
It’s built by learning, ‘I can survive it—and keep going.’

Disclaimer: I am not referring to repeated, targeted bullying behavior, which should always be reported and never taken lightly. This post is more about the “roasting” and general negativity that sometimes takes place between kids.

01/13/2026

Parents, don’t be afraid to apologize to your children.

Apologizing doesn’t weaken your authority—it builds trust. When kids see that you’re human and willing to own your mistakes, it creates emotional safety. That safety is what allows them to come to you when things aren’t going well.

Children don’t need us to be perfect (one extreme), and they don’t need to carry our emotions for us (the other extreme). What they need is honesty, repair, and consistency. A healthy balance is simply doing your best—and acknowledging it when you miss the mark. 🫶🏼

01/12/2026

Some encounters are less about shared progress and more about contrast.

Certain people arrive as mirrors rather than guides.
Their role is not to accompany growth, but to reveal what remaining unchanged can look like over time.

Through these interactions, values often become clearer.
Priorities stand out.
The long-term weight of repeated patterns becomes more visible.

This perspective is not rooted in judgment.
It reflects awareness.
Not every connection is designed for mutual evolution, yet many still carry meaning.

In this way, presence itself can be informative.
It highlights the quiet significance of reflection, awareness, and inner development.
Growth, in this frame, is not a comparison — it is simply the context.

Educational content only. No therapy relationship is established.

01/04/2026

Friendly reminder to expect this to be a tough week on everyone in your household.

A few things that help:
• Keep routines simple
• Lower expectations for a few days
• Build in extra time
• Expect bigger emotions, especially from kids
• Prioritize connection over correction

Transitions take time. Grace goes a long way this week. 🫶🏼