Port Huron to pilot telehealth counseling through CMH for those 14 and up

Port Huron is allocating a fraction of its remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pilot an effort that’d connect more than 100 residents to free online therapy.

At their meeting on Monday, City Council members OK’d spending $148,000 for a year of services on the platform Talkspace through St. Clair County Community Mental Health to help mitigate the mental health effects of COVID-19.

The total, based on a three-year $444,000 proposal, would support up to 133 people ages 14 and up on a $250-a-month cost model over three months with access to live video therapy once a month and unlimited text, audio, and video messaging. That’s $100,000.

The remaining $48,000 would enable access to an app associated with Talkspace for parents among 10,000 families looking for guidance and confidence raising their kids with weekly therapist-led classes.

Earlier on Monday, City Manager James Freed said the program would help cover copay costs for those with insurance, hoping to maximize use of the grant funds to help more people.

He later told council members it was applicable to ARP funding guidelines to also address mental health, calling it a two-fold need.

“There’s been a huge need for mental health services in the community during COVID and post-COVID, and we’re still dealing with the residual effects of COVID and mental health within our community,” Freed said. “We also have a second issue, which is we have a lack of mental health practitioners in the area, meaning if you think you need to see a mental health professional, there’s often times a wait because of (a) shortage of that kind of talent in the area.”

CMH officials echoed the concerns about local access.

The proposal from the agency stated, “Most, if not all, counseling agencies have wait lists for services,” and that the cost of treatment did not typically include the unlimited messaging option.

To enroll, individuals would be given a code to provide them with Talkspace services.

Three months of support would additionally include unlimited access to an online library, interactive worksheets, and progress goal tools. The Parenting Guide from Lasting app, meanwhile, would also grant parents access to 100 self-guided sessions.

Talkspace program 'a bridging tool' to better mental health care locally

Adrienne Luckenbacher, the agency’s director of community relations and community outreach, said CMH would administer the program, assisting with intake to ensure individuals are city residents and coordinating information at the point of entry of treatment to facilitate options if they seek continued care after three months.

She called it “a bridging tool” that took advantage of a “very, very popular” platform online to cover “the gap for a lot of those folks that don’t always feel comfortable walking in the building to get services.”

“CMH isn’t the only game in town. There’s so many other wonderful agencies,” Luckenbacher said. “Maybe it’s just a matter of someone being brave and talking to their school counselor, where they didn’t feel like they could do it before. But they saw mom and dad being able to click online once a week. ... So, the hope is that starting some of this starts the conversation."

When asked about the sustainability of the program without ARP funding help, Luckenbacher said there may be other grant avenues similar to a federal grant that’s already helped expand services at CMH to individuals with more mild to moderate mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

CMH Executive Director Deb Johnson, who was not present Monday night, later agreed with Luckenbacher, adding she was grateful for the city to allocate some of its ARP funds to continue an effort in expanding access at a time when they’re already working to expand capacity.

“The reason it is so important is since we became a CCBHC, which (stands for a) certified community behavioral health clinic, our numbers have been increasing because (we) can serve a broader population now. Our criteria’s not as restrictive as it was,” she said, citing the federal grant Luckenbacher referenced.

“… We have more people that need services than capacity to provide all the services. We’re doing pretty good. We’ve almost doubled our staff the last couple years, but this will help us.”

For more information on support through CMH, call (810) 985-8900.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: City to pilot telehealth counseling through CMH for those 14 and up