The two-year, $1.8 million contract with Talkspace allows students to talk to licensed therapists on an online messaging platform. In a survey of students who’ve used the app, 63 percent of respondents were still doing well mentally, said Patricia Mustipher, director of BCPS’ student support services.
“We created a pathway for our students to be engaged in taking care of themselves,” Mustipher said.
The app also provides self-guided lessons where students can learn more about mental health challenges, such as anxiety, and what resources to use to manage it.
“You can dive into one of these self-guided lessons and really learn … what can aid me in managing how I’m feeling right now, not just the resources at home but also in the school communities as well,” she said.
The unlimited messaging therapy service is available in all secondary schools and some elementary schools for students 13 and older. Students take an online assessment and get matched with a licensed therapist who they can communicate with at any time, though not in the form of traditional therapy appointments.
Around 360 students filled out a feedback form after using Talkspace, school officials said, but the number of students who used the app is likely higher. Around 2,834 therapy sessions have occurred since it was introduced this spring, with 17,000 chat messages sent between students and licensed therapists, Superintendent Myriam Rogers said Tuesday.
Of those, 44 percent of survey respondents said the app was their first experience with therapy. About 69 percent of respondents said they had clinical satisfaction, meaning they rated their therapists 4 out of 5 stars.
Julie Henn, a school board member, said Talkspace’s ability to reach students who have never been to therapy before “really tugs at the heartstrings.”
“That’s powerful, if we can reach one student, that, in and of itself justifies this initiative,” she said.
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