Counseling Services

School Counselors work to provide a comprehensive school counseling program for the entire campus. A comprehensive program is intended to proactively create safe and supportive campus culture, empower students to engage with school programs and resources, and identify and support any students that are not engaging with the school system due to social or emotional challenges.

Proactively all students benefit from a comprehensive program through classroom meetings and advisory lessons that address all of the state mandated topics (for example character development). All lessons are available to parents on the Frisco ISD SEL website.

Some students might require additional supports from a school counselor. Those supports are outlined below:

School Support 

In the provision of a comprehensive program, counselors will regularly meet with students that are showing struggles in academic achievement related areas such as:

• Attending school and possible social services preventing a student from doing so

• Successful completion or course or gradework

• Responsive services where students leave class disregulated

Legally Required Supports

At times, counseling intervention and supports are required.  This includes screening for bullying and harassment, suicide prevention, and the safe and supportive schools program, including behavioral threat assessment (when a student is a danger to themselves or someone else).  Texas Education Code and legislative priorities do not require parent permission for such interventions.  However, communicating any outcomes for these interventions are a part of our protocol.

*Districts must seek parental consent separately for programs and interventions such as the school counseling program, instruction on abuse, assessment related to special education, and evaluations for disability-related accommodations.

Additional Supports

Texas Education Code section 37.115 (g) provides mental health care service to a student who is under 18 years of age unless the team obtains written consent from the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student before providing the mental health care service. The consent required by this subsection must be submitted on a form developed by the school district that complies with all applicable state and federal law. Permission forms will be sent by the counselor to the parent when recommended.

In these scenarios, Parents must be informed of the nature of services.  Mental health services would be delivered either individually or with a group.  In either setting the counselor must provide the parent with  the nature of the relationship as it relates to:

• The purpose

• The goals

• The techniques

• The limitations

• Potential risks

• The nature of all services provided.

• Any issues related to purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks, and benefits.