School Counseling

School counselors offer services designed to increase student wellness, improve academic performance, and increase participation in postsecondary education. School counselors support students in their academic, career, and personal development. They help students achieve success in school, pursue post-secondary opportunities, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. As described in Texas Education Code (TEC) §33.005 and §33.006, a school counselor works with school faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program. A comprehensive school counseling program includes the following four components:

Guidance Curriculum

Through the guidance curriculum, a school counselor guides students in developing their full educational potential and serves as a critical Tier I support for all students. This curriculum helps students develop competencies that align with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills appropriate for their developmental level. The guidance curriculum is delivered systematically by school counselors in collaboration with other professional educators. The curriculum includes K-12 student goals and competencies. It can be found in Section V of The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs.

Individual Student Planning 

Through Individual Student Planning, a school counselor guides each student in planning, monitoring, and managing their educational, career, personal, and social development.  To achieve this, school counselors work with other educational professionals to implement systemic activities that guide students in creating future goals and plans.  The Effective Advising Framework supports districts in the strategic planning of an individual student planning system.

Responsive Services

Through the responsive services component, school counselors intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns or problems put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk. This can include preventive, remedial, or crisis situations. Responsive services are implemented through individual or small-group counseling, as well as through crisis response. Responsive services resources can be found on the Texas School Mental Health website.

System Support

System support is the foundation of the comprehensive school counseling program. School counselors plan, organize, implement, manage, and evaluate their school counseling program to increase efficiency and efficacy.  In addition, school counselors coordinate with providers in the broad network of interrelated services offered in the school, district, and community to ensure individual student needs are met. Sections III and IV of The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs have steps and task boxes to guide school counselors in creating or revising their comprehensive school counseling program. 

Resources

American School Counselor Association:  A professional development association dedicated to supporting school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, career, and personal development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society.  

Lone Star State School Counselor Association:  A professional development association dedicated to providing services and resources to meet the needs of school counselors across Texas.

Texas School Counselor Association:  A professional development association dedicated to serving professional school counselors by advocating for and advancing the role of the professional school counselor and the comprehensive school guidance and counseling program throughout Texas.

Texas Model Alignment Checklist:  A helpful guide to assist school counselors in planning, implementing and evaluating their comprehensive school counseling program to ensure that it conforms to The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs.

Comprehensive School Counseling Program Plan Example:  An example of a comprehensive school counseling program plan. To request an editable version, email the CASSTeam@tea.texas.gov.