Rhode Island turns to screens to tackle the growing mental health crisis among students.
Local districts are turning to telepsychology in the belief that high tech offers high hopes for happier, more well-balanced children.
The superintendent of the Bristol-Warren school district, Ana Riley, said a new approach was needed to help with a wide range of social and emotional issues in the classroom today, from anxiety to bullying to behavioral outbursts.
According to Riley, one of the main factors driving mental health issues among students is the continuing ripple effect of the COVID pandemic.
“Right from pre-K and kindergarten. Our current kindergartners were just born or young toddlers when COVID started,” said Riley.
“That wonderful interaction with family and strangers and just seeing facial expressions, they missed all of that.”
The shortage of counselors to help in Rhode Island prompted Bristol-Warren schools to pilot the new virtual therapy for students in March of 2024. It’s called Cartwheel.
“Cartwheel is a full telehealth model, and they partner with schools. They are available eight to eight, seven days a week. A licensed mental health therapist will do one-to-one therapy with students or with families anywhere from six to 10 weeks, depending on the need,” said Riley.
The program is available in six languages, including Spanish and Portuguese.
According to Riley, help comes in days rather than the months it often takes to find and schedule a psychologist or therapist.
“It only takes 24 to 48 hours for Cartwheel to reach out to families. And then they have an appointment within seven to 10 days,” she said.
Parents with insurance are only responsible for the co-pay. The district covers the cost for children without insurance.
The Rhode Island Department of Education is currently offering a similar telepsychology program called Hazel Health to schools across the state.
