Essex Westford school district trying to expand mental health services
The Essex-Westford School District is working to expand mental health services to its students. They’re doing it through partnerships with community groups. The district currently offers some in-school therapy sessions, but they don’t have enough spots to fill the need.”We have services in our school district through our school-based clinicians, through The Howard Center for students,” said the co-director of student support services for the district, Erin Maguire. “But we don’t have enough access to therapy, and families really have struggled to be able to find slots for therapists for their children to see.” Maguire says they’re still searching for providers and are hopeful they’ll be able to find a wide range of therapists. “I’m hopeful to find a play therapist, an art therapist and a music therapist, particularly for our younger children to access,” Maguire told NBC5. “I am open to all kinds of partnerships in this way.” One of the community groups the district is in contact with is Spectrum Youth and Family Services. The district sent a flyer to families for the Catamount Community Clinic, a partnership with Spectrum and UVM’s counseling program. “As a practicing mental health clinician, one of my specialty areas is working with families and Spectrum Youth and Family. It’s in the name,” said Anna Elliot, program coordinator for the UVM graduate program. “One area that we are interested in is training students to work with families specifically.” Spectrum says the free clinic allows them to address multiple issues in the community, including access to mental healthcare and workforce development. “We saw this as an opportunity to really serve a couple of different priorities in our community,” said Chris Smith, chief clinical officer at Spectrum. “We need to build the workforce. We need to increase opportunity. We need to provide these students with the place to do that as well.”Maguire says most services can be billed to the family’s insurance, but they are seeking providers that offer free services.Anyone interested in the Catamount Community Clinic can call 802-864-7423 x 331 or email [email protected]
The Essex-Westford School District is working to expand mental health services to its students. They’re doing it through partnerships with community groups. The district currently offers some in-school therapy sessions, but they don’t have enough spots to fill the need.
“We have services in our school district through our school-based clinicians, through The Howard Center for students,” said the co-director of student support services for the district, Erin Maguire. “But we don’t have enough access to therapy, and families really have struggled to be able to find slots for therapists for their children to see.”
Maguire says they’re still searching for providers and are hopeful they’ll be able to find a wide range of therapists.
“I’m hopeful to find a play therapist, an art therapist and a music therapist, particularly for our younger children to access,” Maguire told NBC5. “I am open to all kinds of partnerships in this way.”
One of the community groups the district is in contact with is Spectrum Youth and Family Services. The district sent a flyer to families for the Catamount Community Clinic, a partnership with Spectrum and UVM’s counseling program.
“As a practicing mental health clinician, one of my specialty areas is working with families and Spectrum Youth and Family. It’s in the name,” said Anna Elliot, program coordinator for the UVM graduate program. “One area that we are interested in is training students to work with families specifically.”
Spectrum says the free clinic allows them to address multiple issues in the community, including access to mental healthcare and workforce development.
“We saw this as an opportunity to really serve a couple of different priorities in our community,” said Chris Smith, chief clinical officer at Spectrum. “We need to build the workforce. We need to increase opportunity. We need to provide these students with the place to do that as well.”
Maguire says most services can be billed to the family’s insurance, but they are seeking providers that offer free services.
Anyone interested in the Catamount Community Clinic can call 802-864-7423 x 331 or email [email protected]
link
