School Counseling Program Overview

The Melissa ISD school counseling program is based on the National Model outlined by the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Program and in accordance with TEC 33.0006 and TEC 33.007. The district’s counseling program is based on four components: guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system supports.

School Counselors have a teaching certification and have completed requirements in a Master’s Degree Program in the area of school counseling and received certification by the state of Texas to be a School Counselor. Wellness Counselors have completed a Master’s Degree Program in Counseling and Development and are licensed with the Texas State Board of Examiners as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC).

Guidance Curriculum

Guidance curriculum provides developmentally appropriate lessons to all students to facilitate growth and transferrable skills in areas of education, career, personal, and social development.

The areas addressed in our curriculum will be intrapersonal effectiveness, interpersonal effectiveness, post-secondary planning and career readiness, and personal health and safety.

Individual Planning

Individual planning assists students in monitoring and managing their own educational, career, and personal-social development.

Educational areas addressed include:

  • Study skills

  • Awareness of educational opportunities

  • Appropriate course selection

  • Lifelong Learning

  • Understanding test scores

Career areas addressed include:

  • Knowledge of potential career opportunities

  • Knowledge of career and technical opportunities

  • Knowledge of positive work habits

Personal and social areas include:

  • Healthy Self Concepts

  • Development of adaptive social awareness

Responsive Services

Responsive services is the immediate intervention on behalf of the student whose personal concerns or problems put the student’s educational and personal development at risk.

Areas of high priority:

  • Academic success which include tardies, absences, misbehavior, being new to school, school avoidance, and study skills

  • Suicide and self-harm thoughts or threats

  • Child abuse and maltreatment

  • School transitions

  • Stress and anxiety

  • Substance abuse

  • School age pregnancy

  • Harassment issues

  • Dealing with death and grief

  • Family divorce

Systems Supports

Systems supports helps to identify and coordinate resources that benefit students in all aspects of their education and personal, and social development.

  • Parent education

  • Teacher and administrator consultation

  • Staff development of educators

  • Assisting with school improvement plans

  • Counselor professional development

  • Research and planning

  • Community outreach