Mental health counseling now available at Weiser schools

The Weiser School District has entered into an cooperative agreement with Valley Family Health of Payette for school-based mental health counseling within the district. 

 Bill Morriss, special services director for the school district, said there was a perceived need for change in the way students and parents in the district are able to access mental health services. The answer was to bring mental health specialists to local schools.

 The district has completed all the arrangements necessary to start referring students for evaluation and counseling by Valley Family Mental Health providers Lacey MacKenzie-Yraguen and Lorinda Sanders, he said. 

 The two licensed counselors will spend two days each at Weiser schools for a total of four days. The school district will provide meeting space and internet access for counseling sessions. It’s anticipated that the therapists can meet with six to eight students in a day, Morriss said.

 There is no cost to the parent or the school district for counseling. The sessions will be covered by Medicaid or private insurance, and the therapists will do their own billing. Students will be referred for evaluation and behavioral therapy by school counselors, principals and teachers.

 Morriss said there are many students and families in Weiser who are facing mental health issues, such as trauma, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or substance abuse, but getting access to local mental health services is not so easy. 

 Rural children and adolescents have rates of mental disorders comparable to young people in an urban setting, but face additional barriers to receive mental health care. These barriers include transportation, communication, and access issues that affect the process and structure of obtaining mental health services for rural youth and families, Morriss said.

 In Weiser and other small towns, there is a deficiency of mental health agencies who have social workers, psychiatrists, or psychologists that serve children and adolescents.  Parents seeking care for their children can have an extended waiting period of several months to schedule an appointment with a mental health professional, he said.

 Additionally, once a child is evaluated, it often becomes a huge challenge for the parents to schedule their work to transport their child to regular therapy sessions, which may be up to 60 or 75 miles from Weiser.  

 By providing behaviorial services in Weiser and bringing therapists to schools, it becomes much easier for students and parents to receive counseling.

 “It’s a lot more efficient that way,” Morriss said. 

 In the absence of local mental health providers, parents and students are often left on their own, with insufficient or no mental health services. Because of this, mental health care is often seen as a last resort instead of a preventative measure or an ongoing program of therapy, Morris said. 

 “That can have devastating consequences because the problem is only treated when it becomes a full-blown crisis,” he said.

 Superintendent Wil Overgaard said the school district is happy to have the resource available to students in all grades. This is a cooperative effort and is not an exclusive school program.