United Way of McLean County plans to pay for counseling for students in three rural school districts who are struggling with the social and emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President and CEO of the local United Way chapter, David Taylor, said the pilot program in Stanford-based Olympia, Lexington and Colfax-based Ridgeview schools will identify 10 to 15 junior high and high school students in each district who show early warning signs.
“(We are) trying to identify those students who maybe aren’t a red flag or aren’t flashing red right now, but maybe a dull yellow and they know if some interventions aren’t taken soon, there may be some issues,” Taylor said.
Selected students can get up to three counseling sessions monthly with a therapist from Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal starting in January, Taylor announced during a meeting of the McLean County Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (BHCC).
Taylor said Carle BroMenn has indicated it plans to hire one or two additional counselors to help treat these students.
He said the pandemic has been difficult for many children, even those who have strong family units.
‘Some of the issues that the superintendents have indicated they have identified for some kids (include) gender dysphoria,” Taylor explained. “I grew up in Colfax, so I can tell you it’s not necessarily that it’s not a tolerant community, but sometimes that can be a little more sensitive for some.”
Taylor said the need for more therapists is not a reflection on the counselors who already work at these schools. He said they simply can't meet demand.
"Their plates are overflowing and they have capacity issues," he said.
Taylor likened the program to United Way’s efforts to buy soon-to-expire food that restaurants planned to throw out because they had to close at the start of the pandemic.
“We are doing the same kind of mentality here, with buying up any surplus appointments that these Carle counselors may have and then working with the school districts and other entities to address any transportation barriers,” he said.
Taylor said the United Way will see what impact the program is having and how much it will costs to see if it can expand. He didn’t have a cost estimate, adding United Way is paying for the counseling through donations. He said the United Way will measure the program’s impact based on attendance and disciplinary data from the schools.
