Chatham County Schools Introduces Free Teletherapy for All Students to Enhance Mental Health Support

Chatham County Schools has partnered with Daybreak Health to improve access to mental health care for its students. This new initiative offers free teletherapy services to all K-12 students, aligning with National Mental Health Month. The partnership addresses the high student to counselor ratio in the county, currently at 171:1, which is above the North Carolina average of 121:1.

The collaboration with Daybreak Health utilizes teletherapy programs based on proven methods. These programs aim to help students manage their emotions through video sessions, which provide flexible and timely access to care. This approach helps overcome challenges like staffing shortages and transportation issues.

Students are matched with clinicians who consider factors such as cultural background and language, ensuring therapy is tailored to each student. Therapy sessions usually begin one to two weeks after referral and can involve parents or guardians, depending on the student's age. Each therapy course can last up to 12 weeks.

Initial feedback from the program is positive. More than 50 students have started therapy, with 92% of parents noting improved symptoms at home and 80% of school staff observing better behavior in students after therapy. These results highlight the benefits of the personalized therapy sessions offered by Daybreak Health.

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