Several options are available to students or parents who are seeking help with a student’s personal issues that may be impacting their experience in school.
Students and parents can start by contacting the student’s counselor. If difficult family circumstances arise during the school year, such as an illness or loss in the family, counselors can help communicate such important information to teachers. Counselors provide personal assistance to students in crisis and help families decide when and how to seek further ongoing support. Counselors may make referrals to outside agencies, to private practitioners or to our Albany High School mental health services program.
Shelly Ball, LCSW, oversees mental health services at AHS, including consultation to school staff and parents, mental health clinical services for students and families, a peer helping program and consultation to the required freshman class Identity, Health and Society. Shelly supervises masters, doctoral and post-graduate level interns who provide crisis intervention, brief and long term therapy to students. She also trains and supervises the student peer helpers, who provide peer education and counseling to other students at AHS. Parents, teachers and students concerned about any student can contact Shelly confidentially. She can be reached by phone at 558-2526 or at sball@ausdk12.org