United Way of McLean County to offer counseling to students in 3 rural districts

United Way of McLean County plans to pay for counseling services to students in three rural school districts who are grappling with the social and emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

United Way Local President and CEO David Taylor said the pilot program at Stanford-based schools in Olympia, Lexington and Colfax will identify 10 to 15 undergraduates from the secondary and secondary schools in each district showing warning signs.

“(We) are trying to identify students that might not be a red flag or flashing red right now, but maybe a dull yellow and they know if some interventions aren’t taken quickly.” , there may be issues, “Taylor said.

Selected students can get up to three counseling sessions per month with a therapist at Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal starting in January, Taylor announced at a meeting of the McLean County Behavioral Health Coordinating Council ( BHCC).

Taylor said Carle BroMenn has indicated that she plans to hire an additional counselor or two to help treat these students.

He said the pandemic has been difficult for many children, even those with strong family units.

“Some of the issues that superintendents said they identified for some children (include) gender dysphoria,” Taylor explained. “I grew up at Colfax, so I can tell you it’s not necessarily that it’s not a tolerant community, but sometimes it can be a bit more sensitive for some.”

Taylor said the need for more therapists is not a reflection of the counselors already working in these schools. He said they just can’t keep up with the demand.

“Their plates are overflowing and they have capacity issues,” he said.

Taylor compared the program to United Way’s efforts to buy soon-to-expire food that restaurants planned to throw away because they had to shut down when the pandemic started.

“We’re doing the same kind of mentality here, buying out any excess appointments these Carle counselors might have, and then working with school districts and other entities to remove transportation barriers,” he said. declared.

Taylor said United Way will see what impact the program has and how much it costs to see if it can expand. He did not have a cost estimate, adding that United Way pays for the advice through donations. He said United Way would measure the impact of the program based on school attendance and disciplinary data.