October 2025
The Calmer-Downer
You’re mid-session with a student who’s finally opening up.
Or stuck in a parent meeting that feels like it's going sideways.
Or trying to finish a referral that’s been staring at you for days.
Then the call comes in:
“Can you come to Mrs. Baker's room? A student needs to calm down.”
So you stop what you’re doing.
Walk down the hall.
And once again, become the calm-down corner in human form.
You validate, redirect, and try to help the student regulate.
Then you head back to your office, wondering when this became your whole job.
Here’s the thing: calm corners could actually help with this.
But not when they’re just beanbags and posters.
Not when they’re thrown together and handed off with zero training.
Not when they’re used as hiding spots or time-outs with better branding.
Because calm corners only work when they’re taught, reinforced, and respected.
This week on the podcast, I’m grading calm corners.
What they get right.
What they get very wrong.
And what the research says about how to make them actually work.
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen another way
You shouldn’t have to be the walking regulation plan.
The tools should be pulling their weight, too.
-Steph
Should-ing All Over Myself
Remember studying Albert Ellis in grad school, and his warnings about must-erbating and should-ing all over yourself? That used to be me.
I thought the gold standard of school counseling was building a “comprehensive” program.
So I hustled- HARD.
I tried to check all the boxes.
I poured tons of extra hours into trying to create the perfect program.
But no matter how hard I worked, it felt like I was always coming up short.
The reality was that I didn’t have a picture-perfect campus with a manageable ratio.
I had two big foster homes on my caseload, plus rural poverty almost everywhere I looked.
My days were messy, unpredictable, and heavy.
And no matter how hard I tried, I always felt like I was failing.
The turning point came when I started looking up the school sizes of campuses that had been awarded RAMP status.
I realized: those schools weren’t like mine.
And I also realized: Maybe RAMP wasn’t built for my context.
(And just to be clear... I’m not throwing shade at RAMP. For some schools, it’s a meaningful recognition. But for me, it was an exercise in futility.)
That’s when something shifted.
When I finally stopped measuring myself against what I should be doing and started focusing on what was realistic and meaningful for my students, I felt like I had found professional freedom.
I stopped feeling like I was running a rigged race.
And I started building a program that felt like it mattered.
I’d still love to say I'm truly "comprehensive" one day.
But that's going to require either a miracle or a push to create an educational system that actually supports it.
Until then, I’m sticking with what works because it keeps me from burning out.
How about you?
-Steph
P.S. I talk more about this in this week’s episode of the School for School Counselors Podcast: Why the advocacy hustle keeps so many of us trapped, and what it takes to step into a healthier, more powerful way of leading your program.
Check it out.
TCHATT Education & Outreach Services
I know that you are familiar with our TCHATT program as many of the schools in the region utilize our counseling services. I also wanted to share our education and outreach services with you. We offer a wide variety of programs for teachers, students, and the community. All of our programs are free to use. In the attachment you will see examples of programs we can offer to different groups. You will also see information on our unique School Based ECHO program every Tuesday from 9-10 for school staff as well as our Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program for high school students. We do have staff in Wichita Falls to make it easier to get to schools to provide in person programs.
Todd Treat, LPC-S
Senior Program Director – Education and Outreach Services
Psychiatry - TCHATT, CPAN, PeriPAN
3601 4th St. | STOP: 7305 | Lubbock, TX 79430
todd.treat@ttuhsc.edu
O: 806-743-6957
Don't Miss These 3 Small Group Counseling Posts
I've had a love-hate relationship with small groups. I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know students on a deeper level and to offer more individualized support, but I've also felt like I didn't know what the HECK I was doing.
In case you've ever found yourself in a similar situation, or just looking for some tips to become more confident in your small groups, I wanted to share some blog posts that I think will be helpful.
Post #1: Small Group Counseling FAQs
In this post, you'll find tips and information about things like starting small groups, what to do during small groups, and assessing student progress.
Post #2: Classroom Management For Small Groups
This post includes 5 classroom management tips that will help you feel confident in your ability to reign in the chaos so that your small group counseling time can be as successful as possible.
Posts #3+: Small Group Ideas For Various Topics
Looking for ideas for specific topics like worry & anxiety, coping skills, friendship & more? Each of these posts include 4-5 ideas for topics to include in your group sessions.
Stay in touch,
Chelsey
😕Feeling Stuck When It Comes to Individual Counseling?
I've always enjoyed individual counseling, but sometimes it feels like an afterthought - like once I'm done with classroom lessons, small groups, meetings, etc., I don't have the time or energy to focus on individual counseling.
Today, I'm sharing 3 tips that have helped my individual counseling lessons feel focused and effective. To read more about each tip, check out this blog post.
Tip 1: Make a plan for your individual counseling lessons - try not to just focus on putting out fires.
Tip 2: Provide take-home materials to help kids remember & apply the skills they've learned.
Tip 3: Don't got at it alone. Collaborate with the students' families & teachers so that you can support the whole child.
Individual counseling can be a great way to give students specialized support that they need. Hopefully, these 3 tips will help you feel more confident in this aspect of your job.
Stay in touch,
Chelsey
Texas On Course Professional Learning Series
The Texas OnCourse Team is excited to announce our upcoming Professional Learning session for October!
Supporting Students Through the Financial Aid Process: Tools, Tips, and Teamwork
The ability to pay for college can feel overwhelming for students and their families. Through collaboration with peers, discover ways to ease the financial aid process and get equipped with the tools you need to support your students. Also, gain an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). Giselle Martinez from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will present the most recent updates to the TASFA, and Jasmine Tejeda from uAspire will provide a demonstration of the updated FAFSA along with guidance and strategies to assist students in completing the application.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 10 a.m. (CDT)
Texas School Safety Center - Threats Are No Joke! Campaign
The Threats Are No Joke! Campaign provides districts proactive tools to educate students and parents about the serious consequences of making or sharing threats. Intended for grades 4-12, the campaign includes a powerful PSA video and supporting resources to share the message Threats Are No Joke! - Don't do it. Don't share it. Report it! A parent guide is now available in both English and Spanish.
Texas School Safety Center - Safe Gun Storage Resources
Texas law requires school districts to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. It is unlawful to store, transport, or abandon an unsecured firearm in a place where children are likely to be and can obtain access to the firearm. Texas DPS has created a public relations campaign, Keep ’Em Safe Texas, which offers free downloadable resources to promote safe gun storage.
Districts are required to distribute information regarding safe firearm storage to the parent or guardian of each student at least three times each school year. The Texas School Safety Center recommends districts provide this information at the beginning of the school year, before holidays and breaks, and at the end of the school year.
Download the Flyer (includes links to parent letters in English and Spanish)
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.
Mental and Behavioral Health Webinar Series
The Texas Education Agency’s Student Supports Division, and our Project AWARE Texas partners will be hosting a series of webinars to highlight resources and best practice strategies on timely and relevant safe and supportive schools' topics. Session topics will include universal mental health promotion prevention, creating trauma-informed learning environments, tailoring supports to address individual student needs, and other insights for implementing a comprehensive school mental health system. All sessions will be held from 11am to 12:30pm CST.
“Supporting Student Mental Health and Wellness”
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025
11 am – 12:30 pm, CST
Mental & Behavioral Health Tips
As summer winds down and students return to school, it's important to recognize that readiness involves more than just backpacks and school supplies—it includes mental and emotional well-being. With one in five children experiencing a diagnosable mental health condition, early awareness and support are essential.
As the school year begins, prioritizing mental health alongside academic and physical readiness can help children thrive. Below are some tips for families and educators to support a healthy transition back to school.
For Parents and Caregivers
- Encourage open conversations about school-related feelings
- Establish consistent routines for sleep, meals, and homework
- Attend school orientations or visit the school ahead of time
- Promote social interactions to rebuild friendships and foster new ones
For Educators
- Provide a safe, secure, and supportive environment for students to grow and thrive
- Train to recognize the signs of mental health challenges
- Create policies and procedures to notify parent/caregivers when a student displays signs of mental health challenges and provide available resources
Helpful Resources
- Guides for recognizing mental health symptoms in youth
- Back to School Parental Involvement Ideas
- Substance use prevention campaigns
- Bullying prevention strategies
Excerpts from: SAMHSA, “Back to School and Mental Health: Supporting Our Children for a Successful Year Ahead” by Dr. Sunny Patel M.D., M.P.H.
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!
