Counseling Center

Empowering young minds to grow in faith, character, and confidence. As your St. Theresa Catholic School counselor, my mission is to provide a safe, supportive environment where each student can discover their unique gifts and talents, build positive relationships, and develop the skills and strategies they need to succeed in school and in the future. Through prayer, spiritual guidance, and collaboration with parents, teachers, and staff, I strive to help each child become the best version of themselves and to fulfill their God-given potential.

As the school counselor of St. Theresa Catholic School, my mission is to provide academic, personal, and spiritual guidance and support to the students, faculty, and staff of the school. My primary focus is to help students develop socially, emotionally, and spiritually in line with Catholic values and teachings.

I strive to embody the core values of the Catholic faith, including compassion, respect, and service to others.  My priority is to foster a safe, inclusive, and supportive school community where all students feel valued and empowered to reach their full potential.

Education:

• M. Ed in School Counseling - Lamar University
• Mental Health Counseling Certificate - Lamar University
• Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies - University of Texas - San Antonio

• Licensed Professional Counselor - LPC-A  (Supervised by Emily Slaughter LPC-S)
• School Counselor Certificate
• Bilingual/ESL Certificate

 Contact: Nancy Puga

Direct Services:

• Provide 1:1 short-term individual counseling.

• Provide small group counseling lessons to address specific SEL skills in grades Pk-5th.

• Provide 1:1 weekly check-ins(as needed), risk assessments, and interventions.

• Offer guidance to students and families using Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to help students develop SEL skills.
  

Crisis Intervention:

• Evaluate and assess students for mental health concerns and the need for outside support.

• Refer students for outside counseling support, a psychiatric evaluation, or other mental health-related concerns.

• Serve as a resource to faculty and staff on mental health and related student concerns, including best practices for supporting students, mandated reporting, etc.

Student Support Services:

• Work closely with the student support team to create an appropriate academic support plan for students with mental health-related absences.

• Collaborate with the student support team and faculty when social/emotional diagnoses are present in testing and/or medical documentation.

• Participate in ongoing student support and academic support meetings.

Consultation and Collaboration:

• Work with parents to address their concerns about their child’s social-emotional well-being.

• Collaborate with teachers to develop strategies to support students in the classroom and provide insights on individual student needs.

• Connect parents with community services to support students and their families.

• Serve as the point of contact for outside providers and communicate the needs of the students to the appropriate faculty and staff.

• Partner with the assistant principal in discipline cases that require social/emotional support.

Culture and Climate:

• Help facilitate a sense of well-being and belonging among the student population

• Facilitate Virtue-Based Learning discussions with students when dealing with conflict resolution/peer mediation to help them resolve disputes peacefully
   

The St. Theresa Counseling Program incorporates Catholic teachings and values into all aspects of the program, with a focus on fostering the spiritual and moral development of students.  Mrs. Puga works closely with the school's administration to provide students with guidance on issues related to faith, ethics, and values. Her goal is to support the school's overall mission and vision and to ensure that the school counseling program aligns with Catholic teachings and values.