Counseling

Mission Statement

Empower all students to become emotionally intelligent life-long learners who are resilient, curious, inclusive, and empathic.

Counselor Roles

Eanes ISD students have access to both a school counselor and a school-based therapist on every campus; these mental health professionals collaborate with each other as well as with other professional staff to support overall student wellness, including their academic, career, and social-emotional development. 

School Counselors have earned a masters’ degree, are certified by the state as a school counselor, and typically have teaching experience. Elementary schools have one school counselor per campus; middle schools have three school counselors per campus (one counselor per grade level), and the high school has seven school counselors (the student’s counselor is determined by the first letter of their last name). The work of school counselors revolves around ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors and the Texas model for a comprehensive school counseling program.

School-Based Therapists have masters’ degrees and are licensed by a state mental health board; licenses commonly held are for social work (LCSW, LMSW) and licensed professional counselor (LPC). Our five elementary schools and two middle schools each have one school-based therapist, Westlake has two full-time school-based therapists, and The Learning Center (TLC) has a part-time school based therapist. Generally, school-based therapists provide targeted services to individual students or small groups based on identified needs. They are not involved in making or changing schedules, course selection, or college and career advising. Services may include:

• Individual counseling*
• Check-In/Check-Out
• Small group counseling
• Crisis support
• Targeted classroom lesson at teacher’s request
• Parent workshops
• Referrals to outside agencies

*In the school setting, individual counseling, whether with a school-based therapist or school counselor, is goal directed and time-limited in nature (for example, 6-8 sessions). Follow up may include regular check-ins with the student, and in some cases students may be invited to participate in small group counseling to supplement the work done individually. Additionally, referrals for outside counseling services may be provided.

Health-Related Services

School counselors must implement a comprehensive school counseling program for all students in accordance with state law and guidelines; health-related services provided as part of this program are short-term, noninvasive activities designed to promote healthy student behaviors in the areas of mental and emotional health or well-being. Services might include:

• Guidance Curriculum: delivered by counselors during class and tailored to students’ grade levels. Lessons are shared in advance through campus websites, principal newsletters or email/ParentSquare; parents may choose to opt their child out of any lesson by contacting the campus counselor.
  • Intrapersonal Effectiveness (i.e. self-awareness, emotion management, self-esteem, personal responsibility, goal-setting, decision-making, learning styles, growth mindset, time management, resilience and coping skills)
  • Interpersonal Effectiveness (i.e. communication skills, active listening, collaboration, conflict resolution, empathy, anti-bullying, digital citizenship, and social skills)
  • Post-secondary Planning & Career Readiness (i.e. career exploration, post-high school options, scholarship & financial aid, resume writing and college admissions & applications)
  • Personal Health & Safety (i.e. stress management, healthy coping strategies, substance abuse prevention education, suicide prevention & awareness, personal safety & boundary setting, recognizing & reporting abuse and internet safety)
• Campus-wide wellness activities: developed or supported by school counselors and school-based therapists. These activities are promoted through campus websites, principal newsletters, or email/ParentSquare; parents may choose to opt their child out of this activity by contacting the campus counselor or administrator.
• Individual planning: assisting students with academic, career, personal, and social concerns and goals.
• Emotional support: counselors will periodically inquire about a child’s well-being or will listen to concerns of students who seek them out or who are referred to them. Additionally, they may apply in-the-moment methods or techniques to deescalate isolated behavioral or other incidents. 
  • In some cases, extended support may be appropriate. If multiple follow-up meetings or regular check-ins are needed to provide the appropriate level of support, the counselor will contact the parent to discuss the need and intended benefit and seek specific consent to continue. If a counselor offers small-group sessions to address a common concern among several students, they will contact the parents to discuss the need and intended benefit and seek specific consent to include the student as a part of the small group. 

Health Care Services

Health-care services include any “psychological or psychiatric examination or test” (defined by Texas Education Code as “a method designed to elicit information regarding an attitude, habit, trait, opinion, belief, feeling, or mental disorder or a condition thought to lead to a mental disorder”). Under this definition the following routinely used student well-being questionnaires and health screening forms require your review and prior consent. Parents grant or deny consent annually for these two health care services:

• Needs Assessment: As part of the Comprehensive School Counseling Program, a needs assessment is given to students in grades 4-12 (typically during a classroom guidance lesson) to survey their sense of connection and belonging to the campus, access to a trusted adult, and to identify potential topics for targeted instruction or support (i.e. study skills, time management, making friends).  
• Risk Screening for an Individual Student in Crisis: At times, a student who may be experiencing emotional crisis seeks out a counselor or a staff member refers such a student to a campus counselor. In those instances, it may be advisable for a campus school counselor, school-based therapist, or school psychologist to ask the student about potential feelings of self-harm. District protocol requires that the parent or guardian be notified after the screening with an explanation of the concern and next steps. If district staff are unable to screen a student for risk, the parent will be contacted to pick up their child for screening at an outside facility to ensure their safety prior to returning to campus. Eanes ISD counselors use the Columbia Suicide Severity Risk Screener and the Brief Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Screener.