How to Use a Master Schedule and Weekly Plan to Save Time Planning Counseling Sessions

If you’ve ever had a week where you’re sprinting from lunch bunch to a classroom push-in… and then trying to plan your groups at 7:45 a.m. with a granola bar in one hand and your laptop in the other, this post is your new bestie.

Without a streamlined system for planning counseling sessions, it’s easy to fall into reactive mode by spending more time putting out fires than actually prepping purposeful lessons or interventions. I've been there: double-booked without realizing, forgetting where a set of visuals ended up, or walking into a classroom with zero plan.

If you’re not a natural planner, don’t worry. This system actually reduces decision fatigue. Instead of wondering “What should I do today?” every morning, your Weekly Plan does the heavy lifting. You don’t need to be a color-coded spreadsheet queen (unless that’s your vibe). You just need a system that works on autopilot, even on your busiest days.

A Master Schedule + Weekly Plan system isn't just about color coding, it’s about protecting your time, lowering stress, and making space for intentional work with your students. Let’s walk through how to create and use a Master Schedule + Weekly Plan system to:

✔ Organize recurring sessions and meetings

✔ Plan out all group and individual counseling sessions

✔ Use prep time strategically

✔ Set up materials for the week in advance

Whether you’re using a rainbow cart, clipboard, or going full digital, this system is here to make Monday mornings feel like magic.

How School Counselors Can Use a Master Schedule to Create a Weekly Plan for Counseling Sessions and Lessons

Before we dive into setup mode, here’s the key difference between your Master Schedule and your Weekly Plan:

📌 Your Master Schedule is digital-only. It’s where you’ll put all your recurring meetings, sessions, lessons, and groups that happen every week. Think of it like your master template that stays pretty consistent.

📌 Your calendar is where you put one-time meetings and appointments. These get added to your Weekly Plan but not to the Master Schedule.

Each week, you’ll make a copy of your Master Schedule and turn it into your Weekly Plan.

That’s where you’ll:

• Add one-time appointments or meetings from your calendar

  
  

• Pull details from your Group Planning Log to fill in each session’s activity, supplies, and links

  
  

Now let’s get into how to set it all up. Here is a video to walk you through the process:

Step 1: Set Up Your Digital Master Schedule

This Master Schedule lives in Google Docs and includes recurring sessions and duties that stay the same each week. You’ll make a fresh copy of it each week to create your Weekly Plan (more on that in Step 2).

Set up your yearly organization folders first:

1. Go to Google Drive

   
   

2. Click + New → Folder → Name it: Organization Templates

   
   

3. Inside that folder, create a new one for the school year (e.g., 2025–2026 Organization Documents)

   
   

4. When you make your Master Schedule copy for the year, move it into this folder.

   
   

5. Rename the file and update the header to reflect the year: Example → 25-26 Master Schedule

   
   
   
   

What to Include in your Master Schedule:

• Class or Counseling Group Time and Info: Add the time and name of the group or class: 10:30 – 11:00 Mrs. Smith’s Grade 1 Group. Table of Contents Hack: Highlight the group title → Format as Heading 2 and it appears in your clickable sidebar table of contents on the left!

  
  

• Attendance: Add names of students or teachers, or even room numbers if you're in a new building

  
  

• Activity + Supplies: Leave blank in the master version! You’ll add these to the Weekly Plan copy.

  
  

• Add any other activity that you want to do weekly such as:

  
  

  • Parent emails or check-ins

    
    

  • Recess duty or bus duty

    
    

  • Time to copy materials or prep bin

    
    

  • Time to organize!

    
    

Step 2: Make Your Weekly Plan Copy

Every Friday I use for planning today and I create my Weekly Plan for the next week using my Master Schedule template. Here’s how to create your Weekly Plan from your Master Schedule:

1. Open your Master Schedule

   
   

2. Click File → Make a copy

   
   

3. Rename it: Week of [Date] – Weekly Plan: Week of October 7 -11 Weekly Plan

   
   

4. Add the calendar date next to each weekday: Monday Oct. 7

   
   

5. Look at your calendar for this week. Take note of any special events that might disrupt sessions so you can reschedule. Plug into your weekly plan any:

   
   

   • One-time meetings like MTSS or IEP meetings

     
     

   • Parent check-ins

     
     

   • Assemblies or events

     
     

Step 3: Fill in Session Details from Your Group Planning Log!

Now the magic happens! Just copy and paste the info from your Group Planning Log into each group session block on your weekly plan. The Group Planning Log is used for longer-term planning of group interventions (usually multiple weeks or even months out in advance, if you're a planner like me!) You create this group plan by reviewing your Goal Summary Log and your SEL Databases. You can get everything at a discount in the Organization Growing Bundle. Your group planning log will note:

• Objective

  
  

• Activity name

  
  

• Supplies (including where they’re stored)

  
  

• Digital links (Google Slides, Boom Cards, YouTube, etc.)

Step 4: Schedule Time for YOU in Your Master Schedule!

Build in the blocks that keep you sane. I am a 504 coordinator so I have 2 hours a week I dedicate to 504 and IEP paperwork. I also build in time for billing, and prepping my weekly plan each and every week. Be sure to include:

• “Planning for Next Week” block every Friday

  
  

• “Organizing Materials” or “Rainbow Cart Setup”

  
  

• Time to prep SEL video or email (if you do weekly communication)

  
  

This all helps your week flow with you, not against you.

Step 5: Print & Prep Your Weekly Plan

Once your Weekly Plan is ready:

• Print it (1 page per day if you prefer)

  
  

• Clip it to your desk clipboard

  
  

• Pull books, visu

• als, games, and materials

  
  

• Organize by day. You can get more organization tips and freebies on this blog post:

  
  

  • A rainbow cart drawer

    
    

  • Labeled bins

    
    

  • A digital folder with clickable links

    
    

How It All Works Together: Planning Out Counseling Sessions

Once you’ve got your system in place, each piece starts to support the others, like puzzle pieces clicking into place. Your Master Schedule acts as the framework that holds your recurring commitments, so you’re not rebuilding your week from scratch every Monday.

Each Friday, you copy that Master Schedule to make your Weekly Plan, adding in one-time events from your calendar and pasting in session details straight from your Group Planning Log.

Then you gather materials, print what you need, and prep with purpose, not panic. The actual planning process only takes a few minutes a week once your templates are set up.

The payoff is huge: less scrambling, more clarity, and smoother sessions. And when you use a searchable Group Planning Log and SEL database, you’ll never be stuck wondering what to do next with a group. Everything is right there, ready to go!

Task	Frequency	Est. Time
Master Schedule Setup	Once a year	20–30 mins
Weekly Plan Copy and Check Calendar	Every Friday	3–5 mins
Fill in Weekly Plan from Group Plan	Weekly	~4-7 mins
Print & Prep Materials	Weekly	Varies depending on how organized you are. Check out this blog post for inspiration.
Filling Out Group Planning Log	Varies	Varies in terms of how far in advance you want to plan out sessions. Using your searchable database will help greatly.

Time-Saving Counseling Organization Tools You’ll Actually Use

You can get all of this template and many more at a huge discount in my Counselor Organization Growing Bundle. If you're like most school counselors, social workers, or psychologists, your job involves a lot more than just direct student support.

Between juggling resources, planning sessions, logging data, and tracking attendance, things can get messy fast. That’s why I created this Growing Bundle of digital and print organizational tools to help you stay organized, save time, and focus more on what matters: supporting your students.

This growing resource is full of ready-to-use tools designed to simplify your systems and streamline your workflow. Everything is editable, practical, and created with busy school-based mental health professionals in mind.

What’s Inside the Counseling Organization Growing Bundle?

✅ Editable Google Sheets to Keep Track of All Your Tools and Resources

• Searchable Resource Database to keep track of your SEL activities, TPT downloads, picture books, reference books, videos (yes, you can paste in YouTube links!), games, and more.

  
  

• Planning Tools to help you quickly organize your counseling sessions and classroom lessons.

  
  

✅ Counseling Logs & Trackers

• Contact Log for documenting phone calls and meetings

  
  

• Consult Log to track IEP consultations

  
  

• Attendance Log and Intervention Tracker to help with documentation and planning

  
  

• Goal Summary Sheet to align your sessions with IEP or MTSS objectives

  
  

• Weekly Planner, Master Schedule, and Group Planning Logs to map out your time and sessions

  
  

All of these digital tools are editable Google Docs and Sheets that you can personalize to fit your own systems. I’ve also included video and written directions so you can get started without any hassle.

What Makes This a Growing Bundle?

New tools are being added regularly! As of now, upcoming additions include:

• Camp Scholarship Log

  
  

• Loaned Supplies Log

  
  

• Binder Covers and Spines...and more!

  
  

When you purchase the bundle now, you’ll automatically get access to all future additions at no extra cost. The price will go up as more resources are added, so it’s a good idea to grab it early.

Ready to spend less time searching for that one game you know you have and more time doing the work you love? This bundle was made to support you as you support your students.

For more counselor organization ideas, be sure to check out this video and these blogs posts.