Counseling

Our professional school counselors work with staff, students, families and the community to provide developmental assistance to students. Counselors provide support for students in both a virtual and an in-person learning environment. Please reach out to your counselor should you need assistance academically or personally.

Classroom Guidance Lessons

Guidance lessons are offered to all grade levels throughout the school year during the last 2 weeks of each month through elective rotations.  Lessons typically last 40 minutes in length and cover topics such as school readiness skills, understanding feelings of self and others, problem solving skills, friendship skills, and study skills.

Small Group Counseling

A variety of small groups are offered to students who may benefit from spending some extra time developing academic, social, or emotional skills along with their peers, and to students who are coping with similar life situations.  Groups can have anywhere from 3-5 members and usually meet once a week during lunch for several weeks.

Individual Counseling

Some students can benefit from one-on-one counseling regarding academic, social, or emotional challenges.

Hollibrook Elementary Guidance Lessons

Calendar with Topics

Month	Social Emotional Learning Topic
August	Responsibility /Grit
September	Courage / Stand Safe, Stay Strong
October	Red Ribbon Week / Bullying
November	Self-Awareness / Conflict Resolution
December	Respect / Citizenship / Accepting Differences
January	Trustworthiness / Honesty
February	Caring / Kindness Week / Empathy
March	Test Taking /  Mindfulness
April	Perseverance
May	Safe Summer Activities

 

The Role of the Professional School Counselor

Have you ever wondered what a Professional School Counselor does on a daily basis? You're not alone...we get that question all of the time. People often have a misperception of what Professional School Counselors do based on some outdated ideas. Gone are the days of school counselors sitting in their offices simply handing out class schedules, making schedule changes for students who want to drop a class or meeting with the "troublemakers" in the school. Today's Professional School Counselors are vital members of the educational team. They help all students in the areas of academic achievement, personal/social development and career development, ensuring today's students become the productive, well-adjusted adults of tomorrow.

As Professional School Counselors, we spend a majority of our time in direct service to and contact with students. Our duties are focused on the overall delivery of a total counseling program through the use of guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, and systems support. Our goal is to help ensure that students are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders, and citizens.

Professional School Counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today's diverse student populations. We don't work in isolation, but serve as one component in a team of many. To serve the needs of students, we design, develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive, developmental and systematic school-counseling program using the ASCA National Standards as our guide.

The school years are full of growth, promise, excitement, frustration, disappointment and hope. It is the time when students begin to discover what the future holds for them. Professional School Counselors enhance the learning process and promote academic achievement. School counseling programs are essential for students to achieve optimal personal growth, acquire positive social skills and values, set appropriate career goals and realize full academic potential to become productive, contributing members of the community. As Professional School Counselors, we hold master's degrees and required state certifications in school counseling. Maintaining our certifications includes on-going professional development to assist us in staying current with educational reform and the challenges facing today's students.

There may be times when we will meet with students individually about their academic, social-emotional and T24 needs. If these meetings will continue on a short term basis, I will reach out to you individually.

Listed below are some of the ways that we implement the SBISD Comprehensive Guidance & Counseling program (not an all-inclusive list):

Classroom Guidance / Advisory

• Academic skills support
• Organizational, study and test-taking skills
• Post-secondary planning and application process
• Career exploration
• Education in understanding self and others
• Coping strategies
• Peer relationships and effective social skills 
• Communication, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution 
• Substance abuse education
• Diversity awareness

Individual Student Planning

• Goal setting
• Academic/Graduation plans
• Problem solving
• Transition plans
• Education in understanding self, including strengths and weaknesses

Responsive Services

• Individual and small-group counseling
• Individual/Family/School crisis intervention
• Peer facilitation
• Consultation/Collaboration
• Referrals

System Support

• Professional Development
• Consultation: Staff, Admin, Staff
• Community Outreach/Parent Education
• Advisory Councils/Committees
• Program Management/Activities – Career Education Programs/Red RibbonWeek/No Place For Hate/Mentoring
• Data Analysis - At-Risk, STAAR, Panorama, Student Records

Please note that as Professional School Counselors it is not appropriate for us to provide on-going therapy or long-term counseling to address psychological disorders.

Please feel free to reach out to me at (713) 251-5851 if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mr. Scott Baldwin

Professional School Counselor