September 2025
Danger
Nothing was actually wrong… but you wouldn’t have known it.
I set off my smoke alarm the other night while making dinner: I’d just cranked the cast iron pan up too hot. (Nothing was on fire!)
I knew everything was fine. But my teens came running in wide-eyed, because all they heard was the alarm.
They hadn't been in the kitchen, so they didn’t know what was happening. They just knew something was blaring and assumed the worst.
Confidentiality in school counseling can feel the same way.
We see the situation. We know the context, the level of risk, and we make a call.
But parents and administrators don’t have that context.
All they hear is the “alarm," and in our world, that alarm is secrecy:
- Teachers hear it when we say, “I can’t share that with you.”
- Administrators hear it when they learn about an issue after the fact.
- Even students sometimes repeat, “You won’t tell my parents, right?”- and families interpret that as us keeping things hidden.
Once that alarm goes off, it’s almost impossible to convince anyone everything’s under control.
And "secrecy," especially about kids, always sounds like danger.
That’s why confidentiality gets so messy.
We’re trying to protect students, but the way we’ve been trained to talk about it often sets off alarms we never intended.
And these alarms leave parents mistrusting us, administrators clamping down, and lawmakers stepping in.
I’ve been thinking hard about how to hold onto student trust without setting off alarms everywhere else.
I recorded an episode about it this week, and I’d love for you to listen in:
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen another way
I hope it helps you untangle the mess of feelings and second-guessing we often have when it comes to confidentiality.💗
-Steph
LaTrenda Watson, Tammy Gendke, and Ashton Millet at MentalandBehavioralHealth@tea.texas.gov
• Texas School Mental Health Website
👪Meet & Connect With Families At Your School
One of my mantras is: "Kids don't exist in a vacuum." They are constantly being shaped by the people and culture around them. I firmly believe that one of the best ways we can support students is by working with the other adults in their lives.
Of course, there are many barriers to family engagement, and making connections with our students' families can feel intimidating, especially if you are new to your school. But, thankfully there are some easy ways to get to know the families at your school and build these relationships.
Some of my favorite ways to get to know families are...
👀Being Visible: Families won't know who you are if they never see you. Think about where the families are at your school, and then make an effort to be there. This might mean volunteering to help with car-line, popping into meetings/conferences, or attending open house.
👋Saying Hello: Taking the time to say hi and introduce yourself can go a long way! If you see families in the building, smile and let them know who you are. For some families, coming into the school is really intimidating. A friendly face will not only help them feel more welcomed, but can also give you an opportunity to share about how you can support their child.
👍Being A Positive Voice: For many families that we work with, a call from the school is bad news. It means that their child is in trouble... again, or that some issue has come up. One way to build relationships with families is to provide positive feedback whenever possible.
Just like we don't want all of our interactions with students to be negative/corrections, we should fight to offer encouragement to our families as well! This might be sending a note home, telling the families what you appreciate about their child, or making a quick phone call to share something great that their child did.
>> Not sure what to say when you call families? These free scripts can help!
10 (MORE!) CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS
I didn't learn how to create a lesson or run a class during grad school - I had to dive and make lots of mistakes! Thankfully I had some incredible teachers as models and lots of chances to practice. Here's my second list of 10 helpful classroom management strategies for counselors: https://theresponsivecounselor.com/2021/01/10-more-classroom-management-strategies-for-school-counselors.html
Tri-Agency Website
Jobs Coloring Book
Careers Activity Book
Hospice of Wichita Falls - Building Bridges
Fall Building Bridges is here!
Building Bridges is a free program for children and teens (K-12th Grade) who are grieving the death of someone in their lives.
Through games, crafts, discussions, and memory-making activities, kids learn that:
They are not alone
Their feelings are normal
There are healthy ways to cope with grief
When: Tuesdays, Sept 9 – Oct 28
Time: 6:30–7:30 PM
Where: Hospice of Wichita Falls
Register your child/teen online at -> https://shorturl.at/uuuYA
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.
“Mental Health Awareness Training Requirements”
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025 11 am – 12:30 pm, CST
“Supporting Student Mental Health and Wellness”
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025
11 am – 12:30 pm, CST
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!
💖School Counselor Leader Meeting
The purpose of these meetings are to give school counselor district-level leaders a chance to discuss school counselor topics and receive TEA updates.
Wednesday, September 3
2:00 - 4:00
🍎Back to School Counselor Session with TEA
Topic: 89th Legislative Updates for School Counselors
Tuesday, September 9
1:00 - 3:00
Presenter: Stephanie Lerner
Zoom Link: https://esc9.zoom.us/j/99203120244
