A program that has provided 5,000 free mental health counseling sessions to students and families in Indian Prairie School District 204 is poised to continue, now with new locations and grant funding from DuPage County.
School board members this week approved an intergovernmental agreement to accept $20,000 in county funding to support Indian Prairie CARES. The program’s acronym stands for Community, Advocacy, Resilience, Engagement, and Supports.
Treatment sessions now in more schools
For the past three years, Superintendent Adrian Talley said the program has been removing the barriers and costs of mental health care for students and families in need.
“This home-grown, equity-centered initiative provides vital mental health services directly in our schools,” Talley said.
And this year, the program is expanding to operate daily across the district, one evening a week at each of the following sites: Metea Valley High School, Neuqua Valley High School, Granger Middle School, Georgetown Elementary, and Longwood Elementary. A district memo to the school board said the sites at Metea and Granger will be new this year, beginning in September.
Program inspires other districts to follow care model
Indian Prairie CARES has also started a trend, Talley said, with several school districts in DuPage and Lake counties since adopting a similar model. Combining District 204 and the other programs Indian Prairie CARES has inspired, Talley said the total number of sessions provided has reached 20,000.
The district partners with Warrenville-based mental health care navigator ReferralGPS to run the program.
“We work tirelessly to connect individuals with the right providers and services, fostering genuine and lasting outcomes,” Amit Thaker, president of ReferralGPS, wrote in a letter to the DuPage County Board seeking the grant funding. “Our willingness to embrace creative solutions, such as leveraging community partnerships and technology, has set a new standard for what school-based mental health programs can achieve.”
How to seek help through Indian Prairie CARES
To access Indian Prairie CARES clinics, students or their families can contact the social workers or counselors at their schools, Talley said. Each participant in the program can receive up to six 50-minute treatment sessions, regardless of their insurance, and sessions will take place in-person after school hours, the district memo says.
In addition to providing access, the program also works to decrease stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.
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