North Charlotte Today

Union County Public Schools is devising a plan to bring in mental health professionals to assist students with stress and other problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These are sensitive topics, like self-harm or possible suicidal ideation,” Superintendent Andrew Houlihan told WBTV. “These are different topics that a teacher or a normal school counselor may not be able to have that much expertise or experience with. We need someone who is trained in these fields to really be the ones to be the expert.” 

With that goal in mind, school district leaders have reached out to Atrium Health to assist students and staff with the mental and emotional effects caused by the pandemic.

The district is paying for the expertise with federal funds that were unanimously approved to launch a school-based virtual therapy program within the school district. There are currently 19 therapists, nine of whom are employed by the district, with the others coming in through a partnership with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The program will be phased in over a three-month trial period, during which five schools will have one school-based virtual therapist available during the week. After the trial period ends, Atrium Health will expand services to 12 schools by adding another therapist. This is expected to expand to about 1,200 sessions in a 12-month period.

The five schools that will participate in the trial are: Forest Hills High, Monroe High, Parkwood High, Piedmont High and Sun Valley High. 

The district hopes that bringing in additional therapists will eliminate the wait list and reduce the extra workload on school counselors and therapists at Union County schools.