Counselors
Supporting the professional development of school counselors.
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Professional Development
New Counselors' Institute (NCI)
ESC Region 13’s New Counselors' Institute (NCI) is a place where participants can seek guidance while collaborating and networking with other new counselors in the region.
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Cooperatives
Counselor Support Services Coop
The Region 13 School Counselor Collaborative is a series of workshops designed for certified school counselors and school‐based mental health therapists. It's designed to provide learning opportunities and also a network of professionals to collaborate and learn from.
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Cooperatives
High School Student Advising Cooperative
Connect and network with other professionals in your region, exchange best practices, and explore innovative strategies for supporting student success. You'll also gain valuable insights into high school and district systems, navigate College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) pathways, and receive personalized consultation support as needed.
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Professional Development
Mental Health Series
7 virtual half-day workshops aimed at equipping school mental health personnel with skills to support students' well-being, alongside membership access to the annual Mental Health Conference.
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Conference
RISE Conference
The RISE Conference is designed for professionals working with at-risk or struggling youth, exploring the theme of resilience based on compassion for ourselves and others, with a focus on integrity, strength, and empowerment.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: June 18
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: June 26
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: July 9
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: July 17
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: July 30
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: Aug 5
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Mindfully AWARE: A Sanctuary Retreat
Reconnect, recharge, and grow at ESC Region 13’s first-ever School-Based Therapist Retreat — earn 6 CEUs while enjoying hands-on workshops and expert sessions built just for you!
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: Aug 13
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Youth Mental Health First Aid: Aug 27
Gain essential skills for supporting students through mental health challenges and crises.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Grief & Loss for Children with IDD
Gain tools to understand and address grief in children with IDD, including ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence, with empathy and effectiveness.
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Workshop
Safe and Supportive Schools: Lunch and Learn Series
Gain essential skills and strategies for supporting students’ mental health and well-being.
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Series
HS Student Advising Session #1 – Start Strong: Strategies, Tools and Teamwork for Student Success
This is the 1st workshop in a series of 4. It kicks off the school year by equipping school advising staff with the essential tools, strategies, and collaborative practices needed for student success.
View Series Details: HS Student Advising Session #1 – Start Strong: Strategies, Tools and Teamwork for Student Success -
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Navigating Substance Use and Safety Conversations with Students
Gain real-world insight and practical strategies for navigating tough conversations about teen substance use and promoting student safety.
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Series
25-26 MHS 1: Embracing Neurodiversity - Understanding, Communicating and Supporting Student Differences
Join us for the first workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series presented by Dr. Stephanie Miller, discussing neurodivergence.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #1: Counselor Kickoff
This is the 1st of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. Launch the school year with clarity, confidence, and connection.
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Series
School-Based Therapist Networking & Support Group 25-26
This networking, learning and support group is designed for school-based therapists and mental health support staff.
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Event
Respond, Support, and Heal: Building Your Internal Crisis/Trauma Response Team
This training will take a deeper dive into why schools must have trained internal teams capable of responding effectively to trauma. During this workshop we will discuss, how crisis/trauma teams play a critical role in providing immediate psychological suppor
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Breathe, Move, Align - Beyond the Basics of Mindfulness
Gain innovative tools to enhance well-being and bring deeper presence to your work.
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Series
25-26 MHS 2: Protecting Our Youth - Navigating the Digital World for Improved Mental Health
Join us for the second workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series diving into the relationship between young people and technology.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #2: Small Steps, Big Wins
This is the 2nd of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. This engaging session dives into the power of solution-focused counseling.
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Series
HS Student Advising Session #2 – From Support to Success: Counseling Special Populations with Purpose
This is the 2nd workshop in a series of 4. It empowers high school advising staff to better serve and advocate for special populations.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Healing Attachment Wounds - Working with Foster Care and Adopted Youth
Explore the lasting effects of attachment trauma on foster care and adopted youth in this workshop led by Stacy Spencer, LCSW-S, and learn trauma-informed strategies to support their emotional and academic growth.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #3: Pathways to Progress
This is the 3rd of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. This impactful session offers a deep dive into strategies that strengthen your campus-wide support framework.
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Series
25-26 MHS 3: Mastering Your Emotions - Tools for Resilience, Anger Management, and Coping
Join us for the third workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series delving into emotional regulation, building resilience, managing anger, and developing healthy coping strategies.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Interventions for Anxiety and School Avoidance
Gain practical tools and strategies to recognize, understand, and effectively support students facing acute anxiety and related challenges like panic attacks and school avoidance.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #4: Supporting Students in Crisis
This is the 4th of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. This practical session provides the tools to respond effectively to a wide range of student crises.
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Series
25-26 MHS 4: Breaking the Cycle - Understanding and Overcoming Non-Suicidal Self Injury and Suicidal Ideation Part II
Join us for the fourth workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series regarding the complex topics of non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation.
View Series Details: 25-26 MHS 4: Breaking the Cycle - Understanding and Overcoming Non-Suicidal Self Injury and Suicidal Ideation Part II -
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Caregiver Engagement 101
Explore practical strategies for connecting with caregivers of all kinds—parents, grandparents, foster, and kinship families—to better support student success.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #5: Legalities and Ethics for School Counselors
This is the 5th of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. In this essential session, real-world scenarios and up-to-date guidance on the issues that matter most will be explored.
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Series
25-26 MHS 5: Using DBT Strategies to Enhance Counseling - Practical Tools for Success
Join us for the fifth workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series to learn how to incorporate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) strategies into your counseling practice.
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Series
HS Student Advising Session #3 – Charting the Course: Empowering Counselors for Postsecondary Success
This is the 3rd workshop in a series of 4. It equips high school advising staff with the knowledge and strategies needed to guide students toward successful postsecondary pathways.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #6: AI in School Counseling
This is the 6th of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. This innovative session introduces school counselors and mental health leaders to the rapidly evolving landscape of AI in education.
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Series
25-26 MHS 6: The Power of Play - Unlocking the Healing Potential of Therapy Tools and Techniques
Join us for the sixth workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series to discover the transformative impact of incorporating play in therapy.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Working with Medication and Psychiatry in a School-Based Setting
Explore common pediatric mental health disorders, the medications used to treat them, and how these treatments affect young brains, behavior, and emotions.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Fostering Boundary-Setting and Healthy Relationships for Our Students
Help students navigate the complexities of modern relationships—both online and offline—by building healthy boundaries, recognizing manipulation, and fostering strong, supportive connections.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #7: Tier 2 Toolbox
This is the 7th of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative. This interactive session provides the tools needed to design, deliver, and evaluate effective small group supports that meet real student needs.
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Series
25-26 MHS 7: Recovering from Disordered Eating - Empowering Youth & Teens
Join us for the seventh workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series where we will delve into the complex world of disordered eating in youth and teens.
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Conference
2026 Safe and Supportive Schools Symposium
A transformative day that explores the intersection of mental health and school safety, offering valuable insights and strategies to create safe, supportive learning environments.
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Series
HS Student Advising Session #4 – End of Year Impact: Counselor Strategies for Closure and Continuity
This is the 4th workshop in a series of 4. It offers practical strategies to help advising staff wrap up the academic year effectively.
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Series
25-26 Counselor Coop #8: Working Genius for School Counselors
This is the 8th of 8 sessions of the School Counselor Cooperative.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: Using ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with High Schoolers
This interactive workshop introduces the core principles and techniques of ACT to help educators and mental health professionals support high school students in building resilience, managing challenges, and living value-driven lives.
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Series
25-26 MHS 8: Engaging Conversations - Using MI To Help Teens Overcome Substance Use
Join us for the eighth workshop of the 25-26 Mental Health Series to explore Motivational Interviewing (MI).
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Conference
GROW with Creative Techniques Conference
The 5th Annual GROW with Creative Techniques Conference will provide you with hands-on learning on how to use the expressive arts (theater arts, visual arts, poetry, dance, and gardening) in your counseling program.
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Workshop
Lunch & Learn: "Trauma Stewardship" Book Club!
Explore how to navigate vicarious trauma, build resilience, and sustain your well-being in helping professions—no need to finish the book to participate!
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Workshop
School Behavioral Threat Assessment Training
With the passage of Senate Bill 11, Texas now joins other states in our country in mandating the implementation of behavioral threat assessment teams through legislation in its Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.
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Product
The Counselor's Playbook for Elementary - Spanish Supplemental (Downloadable PDF)
The Counselor's Playbook for Elementary - Spanish Supplemental is designed as an add-on resource that works in conjunction with the Counselor's Playbook for Elementary. It includes Spanish language equivalents of the student activities and letters home for each of the 10 engaging and interactive lessons in the full product.
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Product
The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School - Spanish Supplemental (Downloadable PDF)
The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School - Spanish Supplemental is designed as an add-on resource that works in conjunction with the Counselor's Playbook for Elementary. It includes Spanish language equivalents of the student activities and letters home for each of the 10 engaging and interactive lessons in the full product.
Read Article: The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School - Spanish Supplemental (Downloadable PDF) -
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Product
The Counselor's Playbook for Elementary (Downloadable PDF)
The Counselor's Playbook for Elementary includes 10 engaging and interactive lessons for classroom guidance, group counseling, individual student support, and distance learning delivery options. This playbook focuses on developing student's skills in connection, empathy, healthy coping skills, self-efficacy and self-regulation. Each skill included in the elementary toolkit has two lessons – one for primary aged students (K-2nd grade) and one for intermediate aged students (3rd-5th). The Counselor's Playbook includes the following programming support: Standards alignment to the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Program, 5th Edition. Customized notes to the counselor to ensure the content meets the needs of the students, including pacing suggestions and lesson delivery steps. Parent/guardian involvement (newsletter clip) to help with quick communication for the additional support and extension within the student’s home. Downloadable PDF - 60 Pages The Counselor's Playbook for Elementary was produced and is maintained by the Counseling Services Specialists at Region 13.
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Product
The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School (Downloadable PDF)
The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School includes 10 engaging and interactive lessons for classroom guidance, group counseling, individual student support, and distance learning delivery options for middle school-aged students. This playbook focuses on developing student's skills in connection, empathy, healthy coping skills, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. There are two unique lessons focused on each of the five skills. The Counselor's Playbook includes the following programming support: Standards alignment to the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Program, 5th Edition. Customized notes to the counselor to ensure the content meets the needs of the students, including pacing suggestions and lesson delivery steps. Parent/guardian involvement (newsletter clip) to help with quick communication for the additional support and extension within the student’s home. Downloadable PDF - 54 Pages The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School was produced and is maintained by the Counseling Services Specialists at Region 13.
Read Article: The Counselor's Playbook for Middle School (Downloadable PDF) -
Professional Development
Counseling: Custom PD
The Counseling Support Services Cooperative will support your district and/or campus with a full continuum of customized counselor professional development.
View Professional Development Details: Counseling: Custom PD
Healthy learning communities
School counselors are a critical part of any district or campus, enhancing student development, preparing students for college and careers, and identifying and responding to students' emotional, behavioral and educational needs.
Our counseling specialists provide high-quality training and professional development, expert assistance, consultation services, information dissemination and communication to school district personnel in the Region 13 area and throughout the state in the areas of counseling and mental health.
We offer information updates, including legislative and legal mandates, and support for initiatives in public education that enhance student development and academic achievement. Our counseling specialists also provide professional development opportunities that are specifically designed to support counselor needs relating to college and career readiness, research-based best practices, data-driven programs, and research findings related to identifying and understanding students’ emotional, behavioral, and educational needs.
Our goal is to develop and nurture healthy learning communities across Region 13 by guiding and supporting school counselors, educators, mental health professionals, and other school staff members designated to ensure the health, wellness, and academic success of our students in Region 13.
Need to get in touch?
Contact a member of our team for more information.
Jenny Brockway, 512-919-5112