Counseling and Psychological Services

What's Required

Counseling as a related service and psychological services may be provided to students with disabilities who have chronic severe behavioral, emotional, or social difficulties and additional school supports are required to help the student achieve annual goals.

Counseling services, according to IDEA, means services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or other qualified personnel. In Ore City ISD, these services may be provided by qualified social workers, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs), professional school counselors, or other qualified personnel such as interns supervised by licensed or certified professionals. Related services counseling is assisting students to benefit from specialized instruction provided in special education.

Parent counseling and training emphasize the importance of parents as active participants in their child's education. According to IDEA, parent counseling and training means: (a) assisting parents in understanding the special needs of the student, (b) providing parents with information about child development, and (c) helping parents to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to support the implementation of their child's IEP or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). Parent counseling and training is identified by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) as one of the eleven strategies or options an ARD/IEP Committee may choose for a student with autism in order to facilitate carry-over of communication skills or behavior strategies in the home.

Psychological services as a related service, according to IDEA, includes:

administering psychological and educational tests, and other assessment procedures
interpreting assessment results
obtaining, integrating, and interpreting information about student behavior and conditions relating to learning
consulting with other staff members in planning school programs to meet the special educational needs of students as indicated by psychological tests, interviews, direct observation, and behavioral evaluations
planning and managing a program of psychological services, including psychological counseling for students and parents
assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies

Psychological services as defined by IDEA include some services not defined strictly as psychological in nature and therefore can be appropriately provided by other trained personnel including behavior specialists, school social workers, diagnostic specialists, interns and counselors. These would include gathering information about student behavior, behavioral program planning, educational testing, and developing behavioral intervention strategies.

In Texas, certain services are defined by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP) as 'psychological services' in the schools and therefore can only be provided by those individuals licensed as an LSSP by the TSBEP. Specialist in School Psychology Interns supervised by an LSSP may also provide psychological services.

An ARD/IEP committee is responsible for determining the appropriateness of psychological services as a related service based on the individual educational needs of a student, regardless of the disability categories, and with the recommendations and expertise provided by the professionals involved in assessing these services. Parents are invited to participate in the ARD/IEP committee decision-making process. Related services are provided to an eligible student with a disability at no cost to the parent or guardian.

What We Do

The referral for counseling or psychological services evaluation is initiated by the ARD/IEP Committee.
The need for counseling or psychological services is examined in an evaluation. While this is often addressed in psychological evaluation once a student is already receiving special education services, an evaluation for counseling may be necessary to examine difficulties as they arise.
If eligible for services, an IEP is developed to specify the goals/objectives, projected begin and end date, amount, frequency, duration, and location of the services.
Progress reports explaining the student's progress toward the annual IEP goals will be provided to parents, teachers, and relevant school personnel on a regular basis.
Any changes in the amount of services listed in the IEP must be made at an ARD/IEP meeting.
Counseling or psychological services providers should be present at an ARD/IEP meeting when the need for the service is discussed or when the progress of the services is reviewed. Service providers may submit their findings in writing if the IEP Committee agrees to excuse them from the meeting.
While a formal evaluation can be performed, it is not required to dismiss a student from counseling or psychological services as a related service however data for dismissal should be reviewed.
Dismissal from counseling or psychological services should be based on data from a variety of sources, including teacher observations, parent input, mastery of IEP goals and objectives, performance on statewide assessments, disciplinary referrals, and any other relevant data.
The decision to dismiss from a related service is determined by the ARD Committee and supporting documentation is included in the student's IEP document.

Counseling and Psychological Services as a Related Service in the IEP

When an ARD/IEP Committee determines the need for counseling or psychological services to support the student's special education program, a specially designed counseling or psychological services program is included as part of the student's IEP. The supports and services provided are documented on IEPs and indicated as part of the progress reporting system to parents and adult students. The goals for services:

focus on school-related issues
are behavior and/or learning based
are minimally intrusive
emphasize practical and immediate application rather than development of insight
are necessary in order to make educational and/or behavioral progress

Counseling Services may be provided by:

Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs)
Professional School Counselors
LPC
Other qualified professionals such as interns under the supervision of a certified or licensed professional.

Psychological Services may be provided by:

In Texas, certain services are defined by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP) as 'psychological services' and therefore can only be provided by those individuals licensed as an LSSP by the TSBEP. Specialist in School Psychology Interns supervised by an LSSP may also provide psychological services.

Service Delivery

Counseling:

Counseling is a complex helping process in which a trusting and confidential working relationship is established.
Counselors interact with students individually or in small groups.
The focus is on problem-solving, decision-making, and discovering personal meaning related to learning and development.

Psychological Services:

Psychological services provided in OCISD may include Ongoing Consultation
- There are three levels: Monitoring, Generalization, Intervention
- These are direct, indirect, or a combination;
- Assigned according to assessment of intensity of need
Psychological services providers consult and collaborate with parents, school personnel, medical professionals, and other professional service providers to develop and implement strategies to help students succeed.
The focus is on assisting the school staff, students, and parents/family to solve problems related to learning and student behavior.

Resources

American Counseling Association
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
National Association of Social Workers
National Board for Certified Counselors
National Association of School Psychologists
Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists