Jefferson Center for Mental Health -

School-Based Counseling

For over eighteen years, Jefferson Center has worked in partnership with the Jefferson, Gilpin and Clear Creek County School systems through the School-Based Counseling Program. By placing licensed clinicians in local schools, Jefferson Center is able to provide free access to counseling services that help students in coping with their behavioral and emotional stressors. The award winning program has grown to include 16 high-need schools and includes collaboration with MCPN (Metro Community Provider Network) at three of their school based health centers.

Children today have a greater need for school based counseling programs than ever before. “The Status of Mental Health in Colorado”, a report published by the Mental Health Funders Collaborative, stated that 44% of children in Colorado who need mental health services are not currently receiving the vital care that they need. Furthermore, the children’s mental health system is described as fragmented, complex, and insufficient for youth and their families. According to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, “Childhood is an important time to prevent mental disorders and to promote healthy development, because many adult mental disorders have related antecedent problems in childhood.” Yet limited access, the high cost of health care, transportation barriers, and stigma all pose significant barriers for children that are in need of mental health care. School-based services are therefore important components of mental health intervention for youth, as they are specifically tailored to reach school-age children and mitigate barriers.

School-based counseling is a proven approach to helping children succeed at school and overcome personal and interpersonal problems. As students learn how to deal with stress gain the counseling and support they need to address family problems, their school attendance, ability to concentrate, and commitment to academic success increases. School-based counseling is conducted on site at the school and provided free of charge, eliminating transportation, child care and cost barriers. Further, school based counseling “normalizes” mental health treatment, which helps mitigate the stigma that often exists around mental health services. Addressing the psychosocial and mental health problems of students is essential to effective school performance, and schools present a natural opportunity to reach students with mental health needs.

In addition to mental health care, Jefferson Center’s counselors provide students with education on topics such as feelings identification and expression, self-esteem, cultural diversity and anger management.

Participating schools report that they see tremendous benefit to the program. In addition to decreased truancy and acting out, schools benefit by having a mental health counselor on-site who can provide consultation with teachers and other school personnel. Jefferson Center’s counselors are there in times of crisis, and can help respond to emerging needs. Due to various licensing issues and funding restrictions, schools cannot employ mental health counselors that can provide family counseling services. School- employed psychologists and social workers generally focus on special education and academic planning rather than behavioral health issues, so Jefferson Center’s counselors are a very welcome addition to the schools.