Mental Health
Please refer to the resources on this page for assistance in dealing with mental health needs. You are encouraged to reach out to your school counselor, social worker, nurse or psychologist for additional support if needed.
Worried about your mental health:
- Dakota County Crisis Response: Call 952-891-7171
- National Crisis Text Line: Text SCHOOL to 741741
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Find additional mental health resources to meet your needs
- Community Resource Guide Dakota County
- FastTracker MN: A behavioral health search tool that allows you to filter services based on your search criteria, which can include free and sliding fee services available.
Mental Health Support at SES
At SES, we have several staff members who support our students’ mental health. When mental health struggles are interfering with school, students and parents can talk with our:
- Dean of Students - Abe Welckle
- School Counselor - Tracy Caruso
- School Psychologist - Terri Cairns
- School Nurse - Jenni Greseth
We also have a relationship with the Associated Clinic of Psychology (ACP). They provide a therapist to see students at school during the day if getting to therapy appointments outside of school hours is difficult. They will bill insurance and they have a grant from the state of Minnesota to provide financial assistance when needed.
If you are interested in school-based therapy, please contact any of the SES staff listed above or you can reach out directly to ACP by calling 612-455-8643 or by completing the referral form Here.
In the event of a mental health emergency, please call or text 988.
Secondary counseling
Licensed middle and high school counselors provide support for the needs of all students in the areas listed below and follow guidelines established by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
- Academic support and guidance
- Career exploration
- College planning
- Personal and social development
- Chemical counseling
- Community resource referrals
- Credit recovery advisement
- Crisis intervention counseling
- Individual counseling
- Goal setting
- Mental health referrals
- Staff and parent consultation
- Student disability support
- Support groups
Counselors design and implement comprehensive programs within their schools that are data-driven and results-focused, and work with students through individual meetings, small groups and classroom settings.
Effective school counseling programs provide increased student achievement, post-secondary school enrollments, improved attendance and test scores and higher academic grades.