School Counseling

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.

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.

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 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. 

Crisis Prevention and Intervention in School Counseling (2026)- This webinar provides an overview of the school counselor role in crisis prevention and intervention. It also includes tiered practices and resources that counselors can use to prevent and intervene in student crises. 

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

The Texas Model for Administrators (2025)- This webinar satisfies statutory requirements established by TEC, §21.054 while providing information to administrators about comprehensive school counseling programs. 

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

The Texas Model for School Counselors (2024)- This webinar provides school counselors with  the steps and resources to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program based on the Texas Model. 

Webinar Deck (PDF) 

School Counseling Resources at the Texas Education Agency (2025)- This webinar provides school counseling resources from various divisions throughout TEA. 

Webinar Deck (PDF)

TEA Supports for the School Counseling 80/20 Policy (2025)- This webinar provides information and tools for compliance with counselor work time statutes TEC, §33.006 and TAC, §78.1003.

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

Data in School Counseling (2026)- This webinar provides school counselors with strategies and resources for using data in their counseling program. 

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

Student Wellness: Guidance Curriculum Tier 1 Supports (2026)- This webinar provides school counselors with statutorily-aligned wellness information and activities that they can use with their own students in tier 1 guidance lessons. 

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

Trauma-Informed School Counseling (2026)- This webinar guides school counselors in exploring various tiered trauma-informed counseling strategies that they can use in their counseling program.

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

Stress Management in School Counseling (2026)- This webinar provides school counselors with tiered interventions and accompanying resources/activities that they can use to reduce student stress and anxiety.

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

MTSS in School Counseling (2026)- This webinar guides school counselors through interventions and activities for implementing student wellness into each tier of their counseling program.

Webinar Deck (PDF)
Webinar Recording (Youtube)

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.  

School Counseling Program Agreement: An optional template to guide the annual program planning discussion between school counselors and administrators related to key priorities of the campus counseling program. 

Supports for Counselor Work Time: Various tools to support school districts and school counselors in their implementation of TEC, §33.006 and TAC, §78.1003.

School Counseling Group and Individual Permission Forms: An example of a parent permission form for students to participate in short-term individual counseling sessions or student support group sessions with the school counselor.

Texas School Mental Health Guide and Toolkit: This practice guide and toolkit provide information, considerations, resources, and tools to help schools plan and implement a comprehensive school mental health system.

2025 Graduation Toolkit: This toolkit is designed to help Texas students, families, and educators understand high school graduation requirements and plan for college, career, or military readiness. It provides clear guidance on graduation programs, endorsements, academic planning, and resources to support successful transitions beyond high school.

This purpose of these quarterly office hours is to review the quarterly TEA school counselor updates with a rural focus, to provide 80/20 counselor work time support, and to facilitate a discussion space on these topics.

2026-27 Office Hour Dates with Zoom Registration Link

• 9/28/26 12-1pm CST: Advance Meeting Registration
   
• 12/16/26 12-1pm CST: Advance Meeting Registration
   
• 3/17/27 12-1pm CST: Advance Meeting Registration
   
• 6/16/27 12-1pm CST: Register in advance for this meeting at TBA

Access materials and key updates from previous School Counselor Leader Meetings. These resources provide information shared during each meeting, including state initiatives, program updates, guidance, and resources to support school counseling leaders across Texas.

2026

• Fall
• Spring

2025

• Winter
• Fall
• Summer
• Spring

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.