Chesapeake Public Schools is launching a free virtual mental health counseling program for students and their families from kindergarten through 12th grade, joining a growing number of school districts in Hampton Roads turning to telehealth to address student behavioral health needs.
Parents can enroll their children through the district’s website forweekly, biweekly or monthly sessions depending on their needs.
Tiffinee Yancey, founder of provider Virtual Peace of Mind, said the program is designed to support not just students but the broader challenges families may face, such as housing, food and financial stress.
“We're looking at the family as a whole,” Yancey said. “While we're working clinically with the student, our family resource coordinator will be working with the family to provide them some support.”
The program is funded through a five-year, $300,000 state grant from Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and Department of Education.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools started offering free, unlimited teletherapy last year through a partnership with Uwill, to give roughly 35,000 students access to virtual counseling after school, at night, on weekends and during school breaks.
Tawana Fortune, supervisor of student support for Chesapeake Public Schools, said the program is part of a broader vision to build stronger connections between schools and community providers.
She said the goal is to create a system where students can start with virtual counseling but be connected to additional care if needed.
“So that future space is this, that continuum of care, how we build those resources and do our connective partnerships with all of the other agencies that are collectively within our space,” Fortune said.
The program can refer families to partner providers if a student needs medication management, for instance.
To reach families of the the 40,000-students across the district’s diverse communities, Yancey said the program’s website includes frequently asked questions that can be translated into multiple languages. She said the program also offers multilingual therapists and interpreters during counseling sessions.
“When families have the resources and support they need, students are better able to focus, learn and thrive, and so supporting students means supporting families,” Yancey said.
The telehealth counseling is intended for students who need ongoing mental health support. Fortune said students facing immediate safety concerns, such as risk of self-harm, will continue to be referred to emergency or in-person services.
