Hello! I am excited to be the School Counselor at Latexo ISD! I come from a family of educators who instilled in me the great satisfaction of helping children discover the joy of learning. I graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelors of Science in Education and earned a Master's degree from Lamar University in Educational Technology and Leadership. My husband Tyler and I live here in Latexo with our sons, Nathan and Barret. I look forward to working with our Latexo community and outstanding faculty to help our students have a successful school year. If you have any questions or I can be of any support, please do not hesitate to call or email.

Sandy Simpson

936.544.5664

Hello Latexo ISD! I am thrilled to continue to serve as the Academic Counselor at Latexo High School. I graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Development in 2003.

After teaching a few years, I decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in Counseling Education. I graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2008 with a Master's in Counseling Education. I look forward to supporting our students in achieving their post-secondary goals!

Leah Santa Maria

lsantamaria@latexoisd.net

936-544-5664

The Counseling Program focuses upon helping every student have a feeling of self-worth and dignity, helping the student to understand him/herself, enabling the student to fully develop potential, and helping the student to achieve greater self-direction in situations where he/she must exercise choice.

Guidance Program
Guidance services will be available to all students. Counselors are ready to give personal, educational, and vocational counseling and guidance whenever it is needed. The scope of the services provided by the counselor includes orientation, inventories and case studies, information-giving, individual and group counseling, placement and scheduling, standardized test result interpretation, identification of students with special abilities or needs, parent consultations, and referrals to outside agencies. Parents are encouraged to call the counselor for information or assistance on any matter concerning a student.

Prevention and Wellness

Prevention and early intervention services promote psychological wellness for all children, improve positive child development, and maximize children's success in schools, families, and communities.

Resources:

National Association of School Psychologist

Children's Mental Health: Information for Educators

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.
Resources:

Anxiety in the Classroom

What is Bullying and Cyberbullying?

“Bullying” means a single significant act or a pattern of acts by one or more students directed at another student that exploits an imbalance of power and involves engaging in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic means, or physical conduct that satisfies the applicability requirements provided by Subsection (a-1), and that:

has the effect or will have the effect of physically harming a student, damaging a student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or of damage to the student’s property;
is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive enough that the action or threat creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for a student;
materially and substantially disrupts the educational process or the orderly operation of a classroom or school; or
infringes on the rights of the victim at school; and
includes cyberbullying.

“Cyberbullying” means bullying that is done through the use of any electronic communication device, including through the use of a cellular or other type of telephone, a computer, a camera, electronic mail, instant messaging, text messaging, a social media application, an Internet website, or any other Internet-based communication tool. Tex. Educ. Code § 37.0832 (2017)

Bullying Resources:

Stop Bullying.gov Bullying: US Dept of Health and Human Services Information Stop Bullying
Teen Truth - Cyberbullying Solutions Great Resources for Cyberbullying . . .
Crisis Text Line Text 741-741 for crisis line
Cyber Bullying: The Complete Resource Guide
Bullying and Substance Abuse: DrugRehab
Bullying: Pacer National Bullying Prevention Center
Bullying: Texas Education Agency
Bullying: Stop Bullying Now

What is Dating Violence?

Dating violence is a pattern of controlling behaviors that one partner uses against another in order to gain power in the relationship. The abuser can behave in ways that cause fear, isolation, shame and/or humiliation. Dating violence can be physical, mental, emotional or a combination of all three.
Resources:

Teen Dating Violence

Youth Topics

What is Mental Illness?

A diagnosable illness that effects a persons thinking, emotional state, and behavior as well as disrupts the persons ability to work or carry out other daily activities and engage in satisfying personal relationships.

What can you do to support someone who is suffering from mental health challenges?

Deal with your own feelings. You may feel shocked, confused, or even have your own struggles come up when dealing with mental health challenges. Acknowledging your feelings is an important first step toward helping your loved one.
Learn about the problem. The best way to overcome any discomfort you feel about mental illness is by learning about it. Understanding why your friend or family member is struggling can help you see the world from his or her eyes.
Don’t judge. Avoid judgmental comments and criticism—they’ll only make things worse. The first two tips will go a long way in helping you with this.
Offer support, not ultimatums. It’s only natural to want to help, but threats, punishments, and ultimatums are counterproductive. Express your concern and let the person know that you’re available whenever he or she wants to talk or needs support.
Encourage communication. Encourage your loved one to express whatever he or she is feeling, even if it’s something you might be uncomfortable with.
Seek professional help. An evaluation can help you and your loved one determine the severity of the problem as well as what treatment method could be most effective.

What is Self-Injury?

Self-injury is a maladaptive coping skill utilized by individuals, who lack more effective coping skills, to combat or avoid severe, intense emotional distress and unmanageable psychic pain. Self-injury is deliberate physical harm to oneself. Self-injury is also referred to as: self-inflicted violence, self-mutilation, self-harm or simply "cutting."
Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

National Institute of Mental Health-Suicide Prevention

National Alliance on Mental Illness-Self Harm

National Institute of Mental Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

What is substance use disorder?

Substance use disorders can occur when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs cause functionally significant impairment, such as health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home. Substance use disorders can range from mild to moderate to severe. Under age substance use can be an indicator of and/or lead to a substance use disorder and should always be taken seriously.
Resources:

National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Get Smart About Drugs

Become a Smoke Free Teen

What can you do to support someone who is engaging in substance use?

Deal with your own feelings. You may feel shocked, confused, or even have your own struggles come up when dealing with substance use behaviors. Acknowledging your feelings is an important first step toward helping your loved one.
Learn about the problem. The best way to overcome any discomfort you feel about substance use is by learning about it. Understanding how your family member is struggling can help you see the world from his or her eyes.
Seek professional help. An assessment can help you and your loved one determine the severity of the problem as well as what treatment methods could be the most effective.
Do not be afraid to seek family services. Substance use can be confusing and straining for the individual and the whole family. It is okay and even beneficial to your loved one to seek help in dealing with these issues as a family.

Tough Conversations - Death, Trauma, and Grief

A tragic loss may affect your child in a variety of ways. These are some suggestions that may prove helpful to you as you discuss death, trauma, or grief:

Your child needs to feel that they are allowed to express their thoughts and feelings regarding the incident without the fear that they will be judged negatively. Listen carefully and affirm that you understand what they are feeling and thinking.
Continue to comfort your child by sharing you will be there for them, and you will see them through this period of grief.
You may need to spend additional individualized time with your child. Try to structure your time with them by playing games, having discussions and going places. During your time together, focus a majority of your attention on your child.
Don’t be hesitant to ask your child how they are coping, even though you may expect an answer of, “fine.” The fact that you ask will be important to your child, even though they may not show this.
Keep in touch with your child’s teacher to monitor their academic performance.
Regardless of your child’s response to you, reassurance is comforting to them that you are there if they need any assistance. You may want to outline just how you can help them (e.g. by talking or getting professional help).