In order to improve student access to mental health resources during remote learning, FUHSD has partnered with Care Solace, an organization that connects students with mental health therapists and counselors. 

Care Solace aims to handle the chaos of mental health resource coordination with its 24/7 concierge team and a large database of mental health therapists, insurance companies and private therapists. That way, students can get improved access to mental health providers, discover online therapy options and find available therapists.

“I think it’s a great [resource],” said senior Aditya Manikonda, who worked on the HAERT Mental Wellness Program introduced to Lynbrook students last year. “It adds another layer of aid to students and families because it’s always good to know that these resources do exist. Whenever we do need them, we can always use them.”

Before FUHSD partnered with Care Solace, students seeking mental health resources filled out Lynbrook’s Mental Health Resources and Wellness Check-in Form to contact school-based therapist Jenna Starnes, who believes that there are more people than ever who need mental health resources during the pandemic. 

“Some people don’t mind the remote learning environment — it doesn’t really impact them,“ Starnes said. “But for other people, remote learning is really difficult.”

School therapists usually do not have time to meet with all students to talk in-depth about their problems regularly, so many students seek a personal therapist. However, referrals to mental health service providers are independent from the school, so families need to personally reach out to specialists and use their own insurance to cover the costs. Follow-up calls or appointments with private therapists can even take weeks or even months to schedule. For these reasons, searching for mental health resources outside schools is one of the biggest barriers for students seeking support.

“The search for a therapist is really frustrating when you’re already feeling down, and it’s hard to have the energy to keep searching for someone and finding a good fit,” Starnes said.

 Because of the difficulty in finding a therapist who accepts new clients and the patient’s insurance, it may take a long time for students to find professional therapy. 

“Once the parent starts the process of trying to find a therapist, there can be a lag — two, three weeks, two months — because they might be in the process of finding someone who will take their insurance,” FUHSD School Linked Services Specialist Jasmine Kroner said.

FUHSD seeks to address that challenge by providing students with easy access to mental health resources outside of the school. Because Care Solace has a large database and can help students quickly schedule appointments, the district partnered with the organization to support its students.

Students now can contact FUHSD specialist Jasmine Kroner* for a referral to Care Solace’s 24/7 concierge team. In addition to contacting Kroner, students can directly call the concierge team phone number** or use www.caresolace.com/FUHSD.  After calling them or filling out the form, students will be able to get in contact with someone on the concierge team who will be able to search through the large database and find a therapist or mental health service in the area that accepts new patients and their insurance.

“Many students are feeling more disconnected from school, from their friends, so we’re seeing more anxiety, we’re seeing more depression coming up,” Starnes said. “The fact that we can offer Care Solace and have someone help our families and our students is so awesome.”

*[email protected] or 408-522-2288

**888-515-0595