November 2025
The Regulated Classroom - Affirmations
✨Affirmations do more than help you feel good, they're nervous system resets.✨
When you repeat a regulating affirmation, you're sending your body a micro cue of safety. Over time, this builds new associations with regulation, connection, and possibility.
In The Regulated Classroom, affirmations are one of our Four Core Practices. While we want your students and you to share affirmations, we want you to know that we see YOU, the educator. You deserve the same care and compassion you give your students. So read over these affirmations or send them to a teacher friend. You are amazing!
The Responsive Counselors
We are eager problem solvers. We see a problem? We want to fix the problem (or at least provide some solutions)! But, sometimes, watchful waiting is a great response. Follow the photo series to see what this looks like. 👇
❓Challenging Behaviors❓
Do you feel confident with handling challenging behavior this year??
If not, or if you're looking for some easy ideas in one place, you don't want to miss these behavior intervention cheat sheets.
These FREE sheets are perfect to keep on hand or to give to teachers and parents. They are the perfect reference for when you're feeling overwhelmed or at a loss for what to do.
Making it worse - accidentally
The student that's in the nurse's office every other day...
Or the one whose mom says they just didn't sleep well- again...
They ask to go home and then don't return for a day- or three- or a week.
I'll bet you know them.
I do, too.
And we know that the real issue isn't their stomach or feeling groggy...
It's anxiety, dread, or maybe even shame lurking underneath.
So we try to make things a little easier for them with soft starts, special jobs or reduced workloads-
ANYTHING to try to get them plugged back in to school...
But unfortunately, we likely end up making things worse.
We don't mean to.
But to be fair, we were never taught any other way to handle these kinds of situations.
That's what I'm talking about this week on the School for School Counselors Podcast.
One of the four reasons students avoid school (according to the research) is emotional avoidance.
So what can school counselors do without magical fix-it techniques or letting kids spend all day in a calm corner?
We have to let go of the temptation to make them comfortable, and instead help them become confident enough to handle the discomfort.
I talk through it, as well as the other three reasons, in this week's episode: “No More Pizza Parties! The Real Way School Counselors Can Fix Attendance."
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Listen another way
It's important to listen because when you can really understand why a student isn’t showing up, you’ll know exactly how to help them want to.
-Steph
TEA Resource - 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.
New 80/20 Resources
TEA has added some counselor work time supports to the webpage, as well as a few Texas Model tools, webinar decks, and recordings. You can find them all under the Resources section on the school counseling webpage.
Therapist Aid - FREE Resources
Free worksheets, treatment guides, and videos for mental health professionals. Topics include CBT, anger management, self-esteem, relaxation, and more.
Free Visual Schedule Cards
I've been seeing cards like this in classrooms for years. I LOVE that they help the students know what to expect during the lesson.
The only problem is that most of them are geared toward general education subjects and activities.
That's why I decided to make a set of free visual schedule cards that are designed to be used in counseling lessons.
There are 14 different SEL/counseling topics to choose from, and 14 different activity cards. Just cut out the cards, laminate if desired, and then hang them up to let your students know what the plan is!
📂Save These Resources📂
New Project: A set of 13 blog posts that cover “tough topics” your students might be navigating like the death of a family member, a deployed parent, anxiety, depression, the death of a pet, & more.
These situations can be so challenging for kids, and it can be hard to know what to say or how to best support them. Books can be helpful tools in these situations because they foster great conversation and help kids see that they aren't alone.
You probably don't have time to check out all 13 blog posts right now, but that's okay! Just save this e-mail so you can refer back to it as needed.
Here are the topics:
- Moving
- Pet Loss
- Death Of A Family Member
- General Grief & Loss
- Cancer (Parent Or Self)
- Chronically Ill Family Member (Physical Or Mental Illness)
- Miscarriage & Infant Loss
- Deployed Parent
- Incarcerated Parent
- Dementia/Memory Loss
- General Traumatic Event
- Divorce/Changing Families
- Anxiety & Depression
Hopefully you won't need to refer to these lists very often, but if/when you do, I want you to be able to quickly find resources that will help.
The Research on College Readiness
As high school students prepare for college, educators place a premium on academic readiness—and rightly so. But increasingly, research suggests that success at the college level depends on students’ possession of a dynamic blend of social, academic, and emotional skills. To thrive in college, students need human skills more than ever before.
Interested in learning more? Our free resource “Pathways to Possibility: Second Step® High School College and Career Readiness Guide” dives into the research about the connection between human skills and academic success.
The Research on Human Skills and College Success
- Human skills are stronger predictors of college success than GPA and test scores, according to research.
- Good decision-makers choose better college majors, a study found.
- Students with the human skills of sustaining effort and getting along with others are more likely to stay in college, according to an ACT study.
Want to learn more about the research behind Second Step High School? Visit Second Step High School to learn more about the program.
In support,
The Second Step Team
Texas School Safety Center Fall Trainings
Register Today for Fall Trainings
The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is pleased to announce our 2025-2026 trainings. This fall we are offering three new virtual trainings: Addressing Anxiety and Depressions in Students - Elementary, Addressing Anxiety and Depressions in Students - Secondary, and Effective Investigations and Report Writing. Returning trainings include the state-mandated School Behavioral Threat Assessment (SBTA) training for SBTA team members, the TCOLE #4064 training for school-based law enforcement officers and many more.
Register today and plan to join us for a training this fall!
New Trainings
📆Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Elementary Students is a virtual workshop for elementary (K-5) school administrators, instructional and support staff, and law enforcement officers. Attendees will learn how to identify the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical symptoms common in childhood anxiety and depression, strategies to address anxious and depressive behaviors, and tools that can be incorporated into classroom practice.
📆Addressing Anxiety and Depression in Secondary Students is a virtual workshop for secondary (6-12) school administrators, instructional and support staff, and law enforcement officers. Attendees will learn how to identify the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical symptoms common in childhood anxiety and depression, strategies to address anxious and depressive behaviors, and tools that can be incorporated into classroom practice.
Returning Trainings
📆Restorative Practices for Educators helps us build healthy relationships by identifying core values and establishing consensus around how we relate to one another. Restorative Practices provides a process for effective communication, establishing healthy boundaries, taking responsibility, solving conflict, healing when harm has occurred, and creating accountability for self and others.
📆Digital Threat Assessment was developed to address the need to keep pace with the ever-evolving technology challenges that face our students currently. Successful violence threat risk assessment requires a solid understanding of all data needed to appropriately assess an individual's potential for violence. An overall assessment of risk cannot be determined without looking at social media and online activity. It is imperative to understand the tools and methods available to identify online threat related behavior.
Real life case examples will be used from subject matter expert work across North America, and a significant portion of the day will be spent conducting hands-on search exercises through the most current social media sites and applications.
📆Preventing bullying and mitigating its impact begins with a strong understanding of the legal landscape of Texas bullying laws. This virtual Bullying and Cyberbullying Training, offered in collaboration with Safer Schools Together, will walk participants through all Texas bullying and cyberbullying laws, including behaviors that may apply to suspected bullying situations, such as assault, harassment, hazing, stalking, sextortion, dating violence, and related federal laws. Participants will explore Texas mandated expectations for campus staff, rights of victims and parents, related penal code, and determining when behaviors go beyond student discipline and into criminal behavior. Participants will also learn about how bullying manifests on and off campus and how to plan and respond with actionable strategies.
📆The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Elementary focuses on providing an overview of trauma and its impact on student behaviors in the elementary (K-5) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro diverse complexities play in student behavior. Throughout the workshop, participants will be provided with concrete strategies that can be implemented in a school and/or classroom setting to support all learners through a trauma informed lens.
📆The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Secondary focuses on providing an overview of trauma and its impact on student behaviors in the secondary (6-12) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro diverse complexities play in student behavior. Throughout the workshop, participants will be provided with concrete strategies that can be implemented in a school and/or classroom setting to support all learners through a trauma informed lens.
📆Start with Hello, one of Sandy Hook Promise's no-cost Know the Signs programs, teaches students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other. With activities and curricula available for all ages, students are empowered to end social isolation in three easy steps which include: see someone alone, reach out and help, and start with hello.
📆Say Something is a no-cost, easy-to-implement, and life-saving program that will help school personnel and/or school-based law enforcement to teach students how to recognize warning signs of potential violence or self-harm and act immediately to intervene.
🪖 November is National Veterans and Military Families Appreciation Month 🪖
This is a time to honor the service and sacrifices of veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.
We are proud to provide the NVMFA toolkit to help schools, educators, and communities across our state join in honoring military-connected students and families.
Download this resource, open it in Adobe, and right-click on the image to SAVE and use!
📣Upcoming HMAR Quarterly Webinar #2📣
Greetings from the Highly Mobile and At-Risk (HMAR) Student Programs. We are pleased to invite you to our annual series of informative quarterly webinars for the 2025-26 school year.
Our 2nd Quarterly webinar is scheduled for next month on Thursday, November 13, 2025, where we will be sharing:
- Essential reminders, helpful recommendations, best practices, and program updates to support students and families.
- Resources, strategies, and services to help families prepare for the holidays and winter break.
- And much more!
📆RSVP Today for the HMAR Quarterly Webinar #2
- Registration Link
- Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
- Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CST
PLEASE NOTE: All HMAR Student Programs’ webinars are recorded for those who are unable to attend. The PDF and video recording of the presentations will be posted to the HMAR Webinar Website.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) certificates are provided to those who attend live AND complete the end-of-webinar feedback survey.
Highly Mobile and At-Risk (HMAR) Student Programs
- Texas Education for Homeless Children and Youth (TEHCY)
- Foster Care and At-Risk
- Pregnancy Related Services
- Military-Connected Students Program
- Dropout Prevention
Please visit the HMAR Webpage for more information, including 2025-26SY Training Opportunities!
