About the School Counselor

Hi!  My name is Tori Donaldson, and I am your students' school counselor supporting our Giddens' family! I have been working as an educator since 2009 and this is my fifth year here at Giddens. I have spent the last 12 years in school counseling as an advocate, leader, and collaborator to support the academic, career, and social-emotional development of each and every student. 

Guidance Curriculum

Each month I will be visiting classrooms and teaching guidance lessons to students at Giddens.

The topics that I focus on are:

Problem Solving

Effective Communication Skills

Responsible Behavior

Self-Esteem

Friendship Skills

Motivation to Achieve

Cross-Cultural Awareness

Bully Prevention

Conflict Resolution

Responsive Services

As a school counselor, I meet individually with students depending on their current situation and need to help students with social, emotional, and academic problems. The goal is to help students to be successful in the classroom. Our interventions are brief solution-focused interventions in which I encourage students to come up with their own methods for solving their problems.

Individual Planning

I also help parents, students, and teachers work together to create individual plans for students to manage their educational, personal, and social development.

System Support

School Counselors consult regularly with teachers, staff, and administrators to establish a positive, student-centered learning environment.

Access to School Counselor Services

School counselors serve students and parents—both in groups and individually—to help students meet academic, personal/social, and college/career goals. 

Individual referrals to the school counselor may be made by the student, a parent, or by school staff and administration. School counseling services do not constitute or substitute for professional therapeutic care. 

Students may stop by the counseling office during the school day. Parents may call the counseling office to schedule an appointment or a phone conference. Matters of urgency will be given priority.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help your student. You may contact me directly at (512) 570-5600 or by email. tori.donaldson@leanderisd.org