This state is offering children 3 free mental health counseling sessions
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Coloradans age 18 and younger are now eligible to receive three free mental health counseling sessions through the “I Matter” program, an effort from the state to respond to its worsening youth mental health crisis.
The program was announced Wednesday morning by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and representatives of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The program stems from House Bill 21-1258, which was signed in June and charged the Office of Behavioral Health with creating a temporary youth mental health program.
Primavera said that when she and Gov. Jared Polis were drafting their plans to recover from COVID-19, they heard the need for “bold, urgent actions” to address the mental health of Colorado students, saying “we know we can and we must do more.”
“By making counseling sessions free and accessible, the 'I Matter' platform will empower young people and their families to take charge of their mental wellness,” said Primavera. “Our youth have weathered the storm with grace, strength, courage and compassion and it's imperative that we give them the support that they deserve at this time.”
Colorado officials are saying this statewide program is the first of its kind to offer mental health services to youth so broadly.
Michaelson Jenet, who helped draft the bill, said youth in the state had been struggling long before COVID-19 and that the pandemic exacerbated the mental health struggles many were facing.
This program, which officially started Wednesday, is designed to catch children who have long struggled with mental health or behavioral issues and those who may have been introduced to them over the past 18 months.
Through June of next year, Colorado’s youth can go online to the program’s website, IMatterColorado.org, fill out a survey assessing their risk for mental health struggles and be connected with a counselor in a matter of minutes.
As of the program’s launch, 32 providers across the state had signed on to provide care, many of whom can provide telehealth services, making it more accessible to all students.
“This is revolutionary,” said Michaelson Jenet. “It does not matter if you have insurance access, it does not matter if you have money. It matters if you can get to a phone or computer.”
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Services provided in the program are confidential, though children can provide their parents' contact information when registering. Parents can also use the program on behalf of children to assess their needs and get connected with resources. After completing the survey, which asks about behavioral symptoms of mental health struggles and social determinants of health, users are shown 45-minute time slots they are able to register for.
“It is clear that this program launches not a moment too soon for our youth,” said Michelle Barnes, the executive director of the Department of Human Services. “Suicide has been a leading cause of death for young people for several years. And we've seen troubling rates of depression, anxiety (and) substance use.”
In May, Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency regarding pediatric mental health.
Jena Hausmann, CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado, said at the time that pediatric emergency departments and inpatient units were “overrun with kids attempting suicide and suffering from other forms of major mental health illness.”
With the goal of reaching the most children and trusted adults who can refer children to the program, Colorado will begin to market it on social media like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Michaelson Jenet said that by the time the program is set to end in June 2022, she hopes to have served 1.5 million youth in Colorado.
“I'm really hopeful that the ‘I Matter’ program will provide a lifeline to those who have never had an opportunity to take advantage of care, regardless of their insurance or financial status,” she said.
If your child, or another child in your life, is in crisis and needs immediate help, call 1-844-493-8255 to reach Colorado Crisis Services and be connected to a trained counselor at any time of day. Kids and parents alike can also reach out to the Safe2Tell Colorado hotline at 877-542-7233 to anonymously report threats of self-harm or suicide.
Molly Bohannon covers education for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado giving kids free counseling sessions as mental health worsens
