Legacy Community Health describes school-based mental-health services to Galena Park ISD SHAC

Angela Malone, a licensed professional counselor with Legacy Community Health, told the Galena Park ISD School Health Advisory Committee at its December meeting that Legacy operates school-based clinics and telehealth services for students in the district.

"Mental health...it's a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being," Malone said, and described services that include 45-minute individual therapy sessions, group therapy options and collaboration with teachers and administrators so students do not miss more class time than necessary. Malone said counselors typically receive referrals from school counselors and that parents may sign students up using flyers at school front desks.

Malone described a classroom assessment exercise she calls a "dartboard" to map a student’s immediate supports (family, close friends), broader influences (school environment, favorite places) and less-visible factors (social media apps, routines), and said that approach helps staff determine age-appropriate supports and next steps. She listed common clinical presentations seen in elementary settings — anxiety (including testing-related anxiety), mood disorders, trauma-related concerns and, more rarely, psychotic symptoms — and said the current school year has shown an uptick in anxiety around testing and social relationships.

The presenter recounted a recent crisis in which a student disclosed self-harm and suicidal thoughts: school staff stayed with the student, alerted administrators, contacted the caregiver and accompanied the student to an inpatient behavioral-health facility; the student returned to school after discharge paperwork was completed. Malone urged caregivers and staff to act on observable changes such as excessive sleepiness during class, appetite changes, isolation, or frequent somatic complaints.

Malone and committee members noted local resources and crisis lines, including 988 for suicide and crisis support, and cited organizations with referral materials available at the meeting table (Council on Recovery, Mental Health America and Legacy Community Health). She said Legacy’s clinics in the Galena Park area offer pediatric medical services as well as counseling and that wait lists "are not long." Attendees were directed to take flyers on the back table for clinic locations and sign-up information.

The presentation emphasized coordination between school counselors, classroom teachers and Legacy clinicians as a primary route to access services, and recommended that families establish a plan in advance for a behavioral-health crisis. The meeting packet also included handouts and contact details for parents seeking appointments.