Message from the
Director of Clinical Services
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I've been a proud member of the LaSalle School team since 2004, as a therapist, supervisor, associate director and now director for clinical services with nearly 25 years of expertise in the field of sexual abuse and trauma for both residentially and in an outpatient setting.
Every day our LaSalle therapists and case managers work diligently to help the youth and families we serve find stability, safety and permanency. We work with youth before, during and after residential placement as well as instead of placement. The months of January and February have historically been extremely difficult months for the youth and families we serve, which in turn take a toll on our staff. This year, during COVID-19, we saw even more challenges.
When COVID-19 hit and we needed to quickly and safely shut down our campus to visits and in person sessions, the LaSalle therapist and case managers moved swiftly to come up with ways for youth to see their families virtually and continue to address the mental health needs of our outpatient youth through telehealth. The clinical team jumped to the call to assist in the classrooms and dorms to support our boys when schools shut down and our staff were on remote and rotating schedules. Recently, we had the ability to allow on campus family visits, our clinic staff didn't blink an eye at adapting their schedules in order to accommodate the health safety needs of youth who desperately needed to see their families who most had not seen in-person in over six months.
Our community based and outpatient team advocated for resuming in person sessions for those youth who were not managing well in a remote environment and came up with many creative ways to meet with them that would ensure COVID-19 safety. Researched the many different approaches to improve telehealth engagement and when that wasn't enough, they found ways to see their clients in person safely.
As we celebrate the month of March as Social Worker Appreciation month, I can't begin to say how proud we all are of our clinical staff and all they have done to support the youth and families we serve during this unprecedented time.
Here at LaSalle we are acutely aware of the mental health needs of the families and communities we serve, especially after experiencing a year like no other. To find out more information on the services LaSalle School provides for in and outpatient care simply click HERE.
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Dina McManus, LCSW-R
Director of Clinical Services
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What is PBIS?
(Positive Behavior Intervention System)
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PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) is a three-tiered framework for improving and integrating all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day. It is a way to support everyone – especially students with disabilities – to create the kinds of schools where all students are successful. LaSalle successfully implemented PBIS 12 years ago with the goal to teach the appropriate behaviors through three basic expectations: Being Safe, Being Responsible and Being Respectful and have them be modeled by students and acknowledged through various positive reinforcements. Aside from modeling their teachers, students are taught the expectations by members of the PBIS committee through PBIS activities and educational lessons and LaSallian virtues.
LaSalle students and staff participate in several PBIS boosters throughout the school year including: PBIS Kickoff, Harvest Fest, Elfcapades, Spirit Week, Founders Week and the end of the year Field Day celebration. You many have seen pictures of these events in past e-newsletters or on LaSalle's Facebook page (LaSalle School - Albany) as they are fun events that build on morale for the staff and students, each event being mindfully organized to incorporate the goals of PBIS.
With the 2020-2021 school year in full swing, LaSalle students have certainly seen their share of challenges brought about by COVID-19. Despite this new way of life we have embraced as part of our community at LaSalle, the PBIS team has worked diligently to continue incorporating PBIS into the school year for both staff and students just the same. Through the years we've seen the positive outcomes achieved through our PBIS work with our students and have the ultimate goal they continue to follow the three expectations of Being Safe, Being Responsible and Being Respectful throughout their life.
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Being Safe, Being Responsible and Being Respectful |
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LaSallian Virtue
Bulletin Board
created by students
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2021 ACEs Virtual Symposium |
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Meet LaSalle School's
Foundation Board of Directors President,
Kevin Maney, Esq.
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In 1997, Kevin was invited to attend an event organized by LaSalle, and he was quickly impressed with the services LaSalle provided to the local community, in addition to the staff and board members dedication and commitment of the LaSalle School mission. It didn't take long until former Board of Trustee President, Robert Conway, asked if he would be interested to sit on the Foundation Board of Directors. In 2016, he became President.
As a lifetime resident of Albany, Kevin is a graduate of Albany Law School, LeMoyne College, and Albany Academy and currently partner of Scheiberling Rogan & Maney located in downtown Albany. As a dedicated resident of his hometown, Kevin has been involved with PAL (Police Athletic League) and the Albany County Bar Association.
Kevin's long term commitment to LaSalle comes with growing up with six brothers, not having children of his own and wanting to help those children and families in need. Kevin has dedicated the past 24 years to LaSalle as he stated, "the good work that is done, it's just too tough to leave." Through the years Kevin has been eager to showcase the work of LaSalle and has encouraged other community members and partners to join him. Kevin looks forward to better days ahead to continue to be able to bring others onto LaSalle's campus to see the great work being done in the community. Kevin encourages others to visit the LaSalle website www.lasalle-school.org, to see the services available, read the history of LaSalle and find out ways others can help.
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Special Holiday Thank You! |
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In addition to the outpouring of support from our individual donors, we'd like to say thank you to all of our corporate and community partners who helped make the 2020 holiday a very special one for our students. With donations of gifts, gift cards, clothes, food and so much more, we couldn't be more humbled by the donations we received. Thank you!
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LOGOS NOT INCLUDED:
CATHOLIC WOMENS
SERVICE LEAGUE
GREEN ISLAND
BOWLING ALLEY
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Making a Charitable Gift to LaSalle |
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A gift to LaSalle helps us continue making an impact in the 25 counties we serve around NYS, provide needed mental health and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) training to community organizations, support telehealth and educational needs, and so much more. Consider making a gift today by click the donate button below or you can send a check to the address provided.
A gift today will go a long way tomorrow.
The Annual Fund
This unrestricted fund helps support a wide range of ever evolving educational, therapeutic and other special programming that serves the hundreds of youths and families in our community. The fund also supports agency efforts to promote youth development, resilience and the pursuit of reintegration with their families and home community.
The Needy Boy Fund
Once a Lasalle student, always a Lasalle student. The needy boy fund supports LaSalle’s
ability to ensure that a former student may always count on us to help with emergency needs such as food, medical bills or other essentials. The fund also helps to ensure that students and families experience a joyous holiday season by filling stockings for our residential students, food baskets for our families at holiday time and other holiday and birthday activities for our students to enjoy.
The Bill Wolff Legacy Fund for Resilient Staff
Created in in honor of former Executive Director, Bill Wolff, this fund seeks to promote the care and well being of the staff at LaSalle. Bill strongly believed that a well-cared for workforce would, in turn, take great care of our students. This fund provides access to emergency assistance to current or former LaSalle staff members for needs such as housing, clothing, or other essential needs.
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Lasalle School
Attn: Development Department
391 Western Avenue
Albany, NY 12203
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