Digital Startup Is Transforming Mental Health Care in Schools

Jennifer Maldonado, a licensed clinical social worker, spent the summer counseling high schoolers in Stanislaus County as part of a pilot program using virtual therapy to close the gap in mental health services for young people. The purpose of the pilot led by San Francisco–based digital health startup Hazel Health and the school district was to hash out the best practices for a school-based virtual mental health model to scale the program to schools nationwide.

Right away, Maldonado discovered the students referred to her through the school were experiencing serious issues, such as a recent suicide in the family, self-harm, or severe depression. “Students had a lot more trauma and historical mental health issues than I was expecting,” said Maldonado, who has worked in community mental health for more than 20 years. In a county with a population that is nearly half Latinx residents, the need for culturally competent mental health services is great and largely unmet.

Concerned, Maldonado and the other therapists in the pilot initially focused on making sure the students were safe and then worked to stabilize them by teaching them coping skills during the six virtual sessions available to each student. When more than six visits are needed, a Hazel case manager ensures the child is connected with a local provider. Hazel Health’s efforts to support the school-based mental health needs of young people are addressing a long-recognized crisis affecting children and youth nationwide. Over the last decade, the mental health needs of young people have been escalating (PDF), as evidenced by dramatic increases in suicide, self-harm, and depression. At the same time, access to mental health treatment has lagged far behind, disproportionately affecting families with low incomes and children of color. As the pandemic has increased awareness of the importance of mental health and the rapid adoption of telemedicine, that situation appears to be shifting.