For the second year, Narragansett Middle and High School students can sign up for live video counseling sessions in the most convenient spot possible: their schools.

“Although students spend the majority of their day at school, schools rarely have the resources to meet the full range of student behavioral health needs,” notes Susan Orban, director of the Washington County Coalition for Children (Coalition). “Now they can.”

Thanks to a grant from the Van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Coalition is overseeing collaboration between the Narragansett School System and Thundermist Health Center.

A Thundermist Community Health Worker (CHW) facilitates intake and consents with parents/guardians; consults with teachers/ administrators; schedules student appointments with clinicians; and updates everyone involved on a regular basis.  Thundermist clinicians are conducting the sessions.

In addition to coordinating students’ schedules, the Narragansett Schools provides private, secure rooms for the tele-sessions.

Thundermist reports that 15-20 students were receiving tele-behavioral health sessions every week in the first year.

The multi-year project is based on the successful Heywood Healthcare model in Massachusetts.

For more information about the project, contact Susan Orban, director, Washington County Coalition for Children at wccc@washcokids.org or Deb Doran, Thundermist Health Center, Pediatric Clinical Care Coordinator at deborahdo@thundermisthealth.org.