According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, students who receive appropriate mental health support achieve academically and are more likely to graduate and thrive after high school. 

With that in mind, CFBISD created the Counseling Connections Center in December 2019 to offer brief, solution-focused counseling for students, families, and staff. 

“In CFB, we understand the direct link between social and emotional well-being and academic success,” Superintendent Dr. John Chapman said. “The Counseling Center equips our families with strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and other challenging issues so our students can focus on academics.”

Counseling topics at the center include, but are not limited to, friendship struggles, grief, coping skills, depression, anxiety, divorce or separation of parents, motivation at school, parents incarcerated, behavioral issues, self-harm, and academic difficulties. 

From school closures to separation from friends to cancellation of events, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the daily lives and mental well-being of school-aged children. To assist the school community in overcoming this challenge, CFB decided in summer 2020 to extend the center’s hours to also be open through the summer months.  

“We recognize that the social emotional well-being of our students is absolutely essential when looking at the whole child,” said Pamela Geisinger, CFB Counseling Specialist and Counseling Connections Center Director. “The recent impact of the pandemic has created even more need for mental health services for students whose education and lives have been interrupted. The center provides an opportunity for families to receive services close to home, during convenient hours and at no cost.”

In the 2020-21 school year, 172 families were served at the center through 1,044 sessions. In the 2021-22 school year, 180 families were served through 974 sessions.

The center has 18 counselors on staff including five who speak Spanish. Appointments are available on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Counseling Connections Center is located in the ESDC Building A at 1820 Pearl St. in Carrollton. To schedule an appointment, parents/guardians should call the center at 972-968-6620.

“Thank you for offering this program to my family,” a CFB parent said. “Thank you for caring for our families. My child loved coming every Thursday to his counselor. He loved it so much that he would remind me that we had counseling every Thursday.”