February 2026
Circle of Control for Counselors
There's a lot outside of our control as school counselors, more than I even have listed here, but there is still a lot inside of our control. And in my experience, the more I focus on those things, the more fulfilled I am. 💡What else would you add that is inside of your school counselor control?
❓ 4 Questions For Student Behavior
Supporting students with challenging behavior can be frustrating. It can be hard to know how to help. Plus, our own emotions can get in the way, making it hard to see the situation objectively and with empathy.
Today, I wanted to share a few questions you can ask yourself (or your team) to help you better understand the behavior. These questions may seem intuitive, but I also know it can be hard to remember them when you're in the thick of the situation.
Question 1: What is the child trying to communicate?
- As the saying goes, “All behavior is a form of communication.” Some kids aren't sure how to verbally communicate what they need, or they don't have the skills to do so. By refusing to do their work, maybe they are telling you it's too hard. By rolling around on the floor, maybe they are telling you that they are bored, or that they don't understand what they are learning.
Question 2: What need is the child trying to meet?
- Another popular saying tells us that the kids who need love the most ask for it in the most unloving ways. It's a great reminder that if kids don't have what they need, they will try to get it. Is the child looking for connection to peers, a sense of control, predictability, or something else?
Question 3: Are there any resources that we can offer?
- After looking at the answers to the first few questions, you may find that there are some things you can provide the student with to help meet some of their needs. Maybe it's 10 minutes a day with a teacher, classwork modifications, an opportunity to take a break, etc.
Question 4: What skills would help this child?
- Sometimes, behavior challenges can arise because the student simply doesn't have the skills that are required in that situation. Just like any other skill, things like emotional regulation, conflict resolution, etc. come more easily to some kids, and some kids need a little more practice or training. If there are any skills that the child needs support with, come up with a plan that will help them learn what they need.
Of course, these questions aren't going to solve all of the world's problems. Challenging behavior can be a result of complex trauma, family situations beyond our control, etc. However, I hope that these questions give you a good starting point for supporting the students at your school.
New 988 Lifeline Fact Sheets & Social Media Resources
As we continue working together to expand awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we’re sharing updated resources to support your outreach. This month’s materials include a 988 Fact Sheet and information to help partners explain the distinctions between 988 and 911. We invite you to explore and share the resources below across your communities.
988 Fact Sheet
The refreshed 988 Fact Sheet —one of our most downloaded resources—is now available in the 988 Partner Toolkit. This updated version offers an easy-to-share overview of what 988 is and what people can expect when contacting 988. It also features testimonials from people who have used 988, along with answers to frequently asked questions.
988 & 911 Fact Sheet and Social Media
Many people have questions about the difference between 988 and 911. We now have dedicated resources to help address them. The new 988 & 911 Key Difference Fact Sheet provides a high-level overview to support clear communication about when each service is the right fit. Complementary social media assets are also available in the 988 Partner Toolkit, making it easy to share accurate information across your channels.
I care - but I'm tired
If you’re a school counselor who still cares deeply about students, but you’ve noticed yourself feeling less like yourself, more guarded, or more jaded than you used to-
You’re not alone.
You’re still showing up.
Still doing the work.
But everything feels heavier, and you don’t quite know why.
In this week’s episode of the School for School Counselors Podcast, I talk about the kind of exhaustion that's NOT due to being busy or overwhelmed.
It's the kind of tiredness that comes from hearing the hardest stories on campus and being the safe place.
This isn’t about burnout.
It’s about the unspoken cost of caring in school counseling.
If you’ve been noticing things feel “off” lately but haven’t had language for it yet, this episode may help make sense of what you’re experiencing.
Book Recommendation
⛄"Even so his first pictures were failures - no better than shadows. Yet he would not quit. Mistake by mistake, snowflake by snowflake, Willie worked through every month."
Your students will love the messages of perseverance and being true to yourself in this classic book.
Do you love using books with your students? 📚📚
Each month, I put together a list of social emotional books that go along with the holidays and celebrations that happen that month. These books are an easy way to engage students in conversation about important social emotional topics.
For February, the books on the list will help you and your students celebrate Valentine's Day, Random Acts of Kindness Week, and African-American History Month as they learn about kindness, friendship, perseverance, and more! See the full list here: https://www.counselorchelsey.com/blog/februaryschoolcounselingbooks
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity Wichita Falls is a Christian housing ministry that works in partnership with God's people in need to build decent, affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods. Habitat believes that every family deserves a warm and safe place to live.
Our goal is to show Christ's love for others while eliminating poverty housing in our community and around the world. The profits from Restore sales directly support Habitat for Humanity building in Wichita Falls.
HHSC Suicide Prevention Training
Safety Planning Intervention (SPI): 4-hour virtual or in-person, evidence-based intervention training. Teaches participants how to conduct safety planning with an individual who may be at risk for suicide. Safety planning is a written, prioritized list of coping strategies and resources for reducing suicide risk that is completed in a collaborative manner between the individual at risk and the mental health clinician working with them.
New Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Toolkit Available
To raise awareness of human trafficking and provide strategies for prevention, the Texas School Safety Center has developed a Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Toolkit to serve as a directory of information and resources for school personnel and parents. The toolkit covers signs to look for, how to respond, and how to report suspected trafficking. It also contains national and statewide resources, as well as tips for prevention. Human trafficking can happen to anyone; however, there are ways to prevent it and to help those who have experienced it.
Register Today! Mental & Behavioral Health Webinars
The Texas Education Agency’s Student Supports Division, and our Project AWARE Texas partners will be hosting 2 webinar sessions this Spring to highlight resources and best practice strategies on timely and relevant safe and supportive schools' topics.
March 5, 2026 -
Strengthening Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems
May 14, 2026 -
Successes and Lessons Learned from Project AWARE
Both sessions will be held from 11am to 12:30pm CST.
Texas School Safety Center Trainings
Register Today for Trainings
The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is pleased to announce our 2025-2026 trainings. 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!
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.
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!
TEA School Counselor Leader Spring Meeting
Date/Time
3/4/26 2-4pm
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CHjThaK2TfiivYcyoJ991Q
Agenda: Introduction/Norms, TEA Updates with Q&A, Networking/Discussion Breakout Rooms, Conclusion
Purpose: To provide a TEA/ESC-run format where SC district leaders can receive/share SC information and network.
