Teletherapy has become a reliable way for schools to extend the mental health safety net for their students. It can meet several needs at one go, chief among them the lack of qualified professionals to deal with counseling and therapy needs in schools.
In remote school districts, school leaders struggle to hire, and retain, mental health professionals. Only 8 percent of districts meet the recommended ratio of school psychologists to students, while 12 percent of public school students attend schools with no psychologists at all.
Schools can partner with for-profit teletherapy platforms to set up on-site and hybrid teletherapy experiences for their students. These platforms also let schools access a more diverse set of professionals—from psychologists to occupational therapists who often reflect the gender and racial diversity of the student body.
To get an effective teletherapy model off the ground, a school needs to have a few critical ingredients in place. We spoke to school and district leaders, mental health experts, and teletherapy service providers to cull the most important aspects into a handy downloadable resource for you and your team.
