Huntington ISD school counselors try to create relationships based on trust

HUNTINGTON, Texas (KTRE) - It’s National School Counseling Week and Deep East Texas is celebrating by recognizing the important work school counselors do. The school counselors at Huntington ISD are often multipurpose; they help students plan their futures, while also acting as a shoulder to lean on.

Despite their different campuses, Huntington ISD school counselors all share one common goal: creating a relationship built on trust with every student.

Katie Stover, a counselor at Huntington Intermediate, said she has an open-door policy for every child.

“Kids come through our door for everything - family issues, friendships, academic issues, anxiety, or maybe something that just happened the night before that they can’t go through alone. As a school counselor, we want students to know we are there for any capacity,” Stover said.

Angela Morgan, the elementary school counselor for Huntington ISD, said she helps to instill character lessons in her students.

“Unfortunately, through COVID, we’ve seen a lot of kids dealing with grief. We’ve seen an uptick on that. And so I try to really help support parents and kids if they’re dealing with that,” Morgan said.

She also helps students understand the stages of grief.

“They don’t understand why they feel angry. You know, it’s not always just about being sad. They have to go through those stages, so I think talking about it is so important,” Morgan said.

Sherri Flynt, the high school counselor, starts conversations with students about their future. She shows them their options like further education or helps students to explore career path options that do not require a degree.

“In Huntington ISD, we’re dealing with mostly first-generation college-goers. So you have to really give them the exposure as to what is out there beyond the twelfth grade and Huntington High School. I start in ninth grade. We start talking about possible careers and what it takes to become whatever profession that they so choose,” Flynt said.

If your child is struggling, Huntington ISD counselors recommend that a student utilizes their school counselor as a resource. They say their offices are always a safe place to chat and provide guidance.