21 Aug

Posted at 16:09h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith Next Step counselor Garland Willis recalled what made him go from being a high school principal to a counselor a few years ago. “Being a principal is where all my white hair came from,” he said with a laugh. “As a principal, my most...

03 Aug

Posted at 16:48h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith Every so often, a Next Step counselor will see an adolescent who is struggling with their LGBTQ identity. For these students, counseling can make the biggest difference, as they can be especially vulnerable to mental health issues. “Suicide is the third leading cause of...

22 Jul

Posted at 15:21h in Uncategorized

Most teens don’t drink regularly. Why do so many East Texans believe the myth that they do? One of the questions we ask students during alcohol presentations is “What percentage of teens do you think drink regularly?” More often than not, students think that most of their...

03 Jul

Posted at 17:36h in Board Members

By Rebecca Smith Collin Phaup has been a board member at Next Step for five years, and president of the board for two of those years. Over the last five years, Next Step has nearly tripled its budget. County coverage has doubled. Staffing has nearly doubled,...

09 Jun

Posted at 17:41h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith Keisha Lett began to notice small changes in her 15-year-old counseling client. “This was a girl who came in with high anxiety,” she said. “I would set things out for her to fidget with as we talked. She wasn’t able to express herself and...

03 Jun

Posted at 18:13h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith When Sherry Parker started at Next Step only a couple weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the schools in March 2020, she worried how she would see the students who needed her. Next Step set her and the other counselors up with video...

29 May

Posted at 14:59h in Counseling

On his Zoom call for his interview, Marcus Wade chose a playful virtual background with hearts, pizza slices, and music notes. It featured phrases like “Not blaming yourself,” “eating the food you want,” “keeping a journal and writing down your ideas.” Fitting tips for the...

22 May

Posted at 16:17h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith When asked if she can share an anonymous story of a student who had made significant progress in counseling, Taylor Parker’s face lights up. “Oh my gosh, yes!” She said, clasping her hands in excitement. “I’ll give you two!” One was a second grade student...

19 May

Posted at 14:40h in Counseling

By Rebecca Smith Leslie Moseley recalled one of her counseling clients who had many ups and downs over the course of their sessions at Nacogdoches County Juvenile Probation. The client had been to alternative school and had gotten caught with marijuana. Others might have written her off,...