Rural S.C. school district addresses shortage of in-school therapists by hiring private mental-health providers

American teens have been facing a growing mental-health crisis in recent years, one which the pandemic has exacerbated. Meanwhile, as a recent New York Times series details, it's increasingly difficult for teens to access mental-health care—especially in rural areas. With licensed providers in such short supply, school therapists can be a critical resource.

"School-based mental health therapists are seen as a particularly effective way of getting help to students who need professional support," Sara Gregory reports for The Hechinger Report and the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. "Since children are already at school, parents don’t have to take off work to get them to appointments. They miss less class because the commute to a therapist’s office is only a walk down the hall."

But in rural Cherokee County, South Carolina, the public school district couldn't fill any of its seven open positions for therapists by the beginning of the school year last year, Gregory reports. So Christina Cody, a health and wellness specialist for the district, had an idea: Why not bring in licensed professionals from private practice? 

The district was able to bring in two counselors during the last school year by using an outside staffing agency instead of going through the state Department of Mental Health, Gregory reports. That has afforded the district some breathing room while the state works on ways to bring in more mental-health professionals, chiefly through raising the starting salary.