Professional School Counselors work as team members with teachers, administrators, and parents to help children progress toward graduation and post-secondary educational opportunities, creating the opportunity to achieve happy, productive and responsible citizenship. The counselors offer assistance and encouragement to students, families, and teachers as young people mature academically, socially, and physically. The counselor helps students to understand their abilities, to identify interests, and to set goals. DISD counselors work with students individually, in small groups, and in the classroom setting.

The role of the IMPACT Counselor is to provide crisis intervention, psycho-educational counseling services and referrals to community counseling agencies when necessary. The goal of the IMPACT Counselor is to identify and resolve mental health issues significantly impacting a student’s success in the classroom. Referrals to the IMPACT Counselor can be made by teachers, administrators and parents. Most often, students refer themselves.