The United Independent School District Guidance and Counseling department’s mission is to implement a comprehensive school counseling program to promote student success through academic achievement, promote prevention and intervention activities to provide a safe and nurturing environment, provide social/emotional and career development and increase student’s admittance and success in institutions of higher learning.

• Partners for Scholars – Criteria for the Selection of Scholarship Recipients

United Independent School District’s Guidance & Counseling program provides competencies to fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal, and social abilities in grades pre-K through 12th grade. Their main goal is to help make the students’ school experience a positive one so that their fullest potential can be reached, becoming happy, healthy, contributing members of society.

Counselors will implement A Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program. This counseling program provides a systematic approach to helping students acquire and apply basic life skills by making desirable use of the special knowledge and skills of school counselors. The four (4) components that comprise this Model are:

1. Guidance Curriculum provides guidance content in a systematic way to all students, usually through classroom meetings. The purpose of Guidance Curriculum is for awareness, skill development, and application of the skills needed in everyday life.
2. Responsive Services addresses the immediate concerns of students, usually through individual or group counseling. The purpose of Responsive Services is for prevention and intervention.
3. Individual Planning assists students in monitoring and understanding their own development in areas of education, career, and personal/social, usually through the development of academic and career plans. The purpose of Individual Planning is for students to plan and set goals.
4. System Support includes program and staff support activities and services. The purpose of System Support is the program delivery and support of staff.

Counselors provide services in the areas of Character Education, Bullying Prevention, Anger Management, Self Esteem, Substance Abuse Awareness, Parenting sessions, Violence Prevention and abide by Senate Bill 158 which reads: “Requires each elementary, middle, junior high and high school counselor to advise students and their parents regarding the importance of higher education, coursework designed to prepare students for higher education, and financial aid availability and requirements. Requires extensive student/parent counseling regarding higher education during the student’s first year in high school and again during the student’s senior year.”

The Professional School Counselor:

• Is a certified, specially trained, professional educator.
• Has at least two to three years of successful teaching experience.
• Has a Master's Degree and counseling certification.
• Is committed to providing a comprehensive, developmental guidance program for all students.
• Is a motivator, facilitator, teacher, guide, coordinator, resource, liaison, advocate, coach, encourager, and a person who assists students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Students see their counselor by referral from:

• Themselves
• Teachers
• Parents
• Administrators
• Friends

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