In 2014 the state of New Jersey became the first home to Hall Achievers Psych-Ed Consulting; a mental health services agency on a mission to enhance students' abilities to thrive. For three years, our small team of Education Specialist worked passionately to address the Academic, Social and Emotional learning challenges of students with classified disabilities. Our team of Education Specialists created academic and socio-emotional learning programs for students and families dealing with trauma, anxiety, and depression. Hall Achievers set out to partner with several schools in the Gloucester County School district to develop unique methods of delivering mental health support to students and families in the community. During my time work in Mantua Township taught me a few things: Parents generally want what’s best for their children, Schools want to provide Free and Appropriate Education for every student the best way they can, and every community is willing to invest in the future generation. The most valuable lesson was how critical the need for bringing these three entities together. We had found our niche.
When the Hall Family decided to move to Maine in the summer of 2018, there were some major decisions to make about how the agency would operate going forward. Would the agency be able to survive the change, so young in its development? We worked to establish Hall Achievers PsychEd Consulting a reliable change agent within the local Special Education community. How would we be able to continue the mission of creating innovative options of mental health support for tomorrows’ Leaders?
The toughest questions for me personally, dealt with concerns that many women in our culture are moved to ask at some point in our career. Would I, as a full-time wife and mother and entrepreneur, have enough resources to balance these roles without compromising them?
My husband and I put a lot of effort into protecting the social-emotional development of our own 3 young achievers; and this was going to be a big move for them as well. I chose to allow my faith to guide me through the initial months of transitioning and established a stable and flowing home in our new town in Maine. I remained passionate about the work I’d done for over 15 years. I've kept my eyes and ears open to the needs and grievances related to students with disabilities. I am not going to silence the call on my life simply because I changed locations.
I wish I could say there was a calculated series of events that prompted the relaunch. The personal experiences that I've had with my oldest son and our quest to refine his newly discovered super powers (you can read about that here); the consistent stream of consultation requests from neighbors, new friends, and community members; gave me more than enough fuel to take on the task of re-establishing my business in Lewiston, Maine.
I wish I could tell you that today, I have it all planned out.
What I can say is, my family and I have had just about a full school year in our new community; and there are some major challenges for us to commit to. My three little achievers need this Hall Achievers Consulting Agency active and in pursuit of its mission. The community of Lewiston struggles to find the space to be innovative as poverty and government policy overwhelm the agenda. I’ve witnessed schools violate the rights of students with disabilities and the schools I've encountered seem too overwhelmed to know where to begin learning how to effectively support them; much less how get creative about the processes. I've noticed some new challenges and some familiar red tape, keeping some of our students marginalized within an already broken and outdated Education system. It’s time for us to take on new collaborative partners and offer some change.
Our blog
We Share personal stories, research-based articles and professional interviews about the latest and up-to-date information on ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing differences in school aged children. We'll also hear from Education Specialists about their experiences with Developing and testing service models to improve the state of mental health care in our communities.
Our posts help to expel stigma, empower parents and give them innovative tools, strategies and resources of support that are relevant and useful according to the unique social and emotional needs of kids with invisible disabilities.
Our parent community
We invite all Non-judgie mom friends of students with Disabilities to join our parent community right here on the website and in our facebook group. A mom's greatest assignment is to guide her kids and help them to thrive; No matter the Difference. Each month we'll bring our experiences and talents together in support of keeping moms mentally and emotionally equip for their assignment. Every encounter offers peace of mind, and empowerment to parents advocating for their special-needs students with grace and confidence.
Our Service
When circumstances call for guidance through Federal Special Education Policy and Law, members of our parent community have access to the Special Education Consultants who work as student advocates. We've learned that the community benefits most when of Hall Achievers Consulting is committed to supporting the administrators and teachers of Local Education Agencies (LEA's). We are looking forward to bringing our style of support to LEA's in their efforts to implement evidence-based character Development and Social-Emotional Learning programs. The most innovative ideas come from our teachers and administrators and guidance counselors in small group PD training sessions and one-on-one consulting, and I'm honored and excited to begin working with them.
It’s time for Hall Achievers Consulting to jump in and get to work for the Androscoggin county students and families in need of our support.
Thanks for Reading!
If you are a parent or closely-connected grown up of a student with disabilities and you are living in the above mentioned county, I’d love to hear from you about our education system and how you think our agency can be of service to the students in our community. Leave a comment below or email me: halladmin@hallachievers.com
Blessings,
Mrs. Ayesha
