Lacking Counselors, US Schools Turn to Online Therapy

Lacking Counselors, US Schools Turn to Online Therapy

由于缺乏咨询师，美国学校转向在线心理治疗

【听力音频】

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　　By Dan Novak

　　19 December 2023

　　Public schools in the United States are increasingly employing online mental health services, or teletherapy, for students.

　　At least 16 of the 20 largest American public school systems are offering online therapy to reach millions of students, reports the Associated Press. In those systems alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million.

　　The business model is making so much money that venture capitalists are investing in new companies as the market grows. However, some experts have raised concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies.

　　But educators say teletherapy works for many kids and is meeting a large need. Schools are also experiencing shortages in on-site therapists. Online help has made therapy more easily available to children, especially poorer students and those in rural areas. Schools let students connect with online counselors during the school day or after hours from home.

　　Ishoo is a mother of two in Lancaster, California. She struggled to help her second-grade daughter deal with severe anxiety.

　　Last spring, her school district started a teletherapy program and Ishoo signed up her daughter. During a month of weekly video sessions at her home, the girl opened up to a therapist. The therapist gave the student tools and techniques to reduce anxiety.

　　"She learned that it's OK to ask for help, and sometimes everyone needs some extra help," Ishoo said.

　　The 13,000-student school system, like many others, has counselors and psychologists on staff. But it is not enough to meet the need, said Trish Wilson, the Lancaster supervisor of counseling.

　　Therapists in the area have full caseloads, making it impossible to offer students immediate care, she said. Students rarely have to wait long for an online session.

　　Students and their parents said in interviews they turned to teletherapy after struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness, stress and anxiety. For many, returning to in-person school after distance learning was very difficult.

　　Schools are using federal pandemic relief money to pay for help as experts have warned of worrying rates of youth depression, anxiety and suicide. Many school districts are signing contracts with private companies. Others are working with local health care providers, nonprofits or state programs.

　　Mental health experts welcome the extra support but warn about possible risks. For one, it is getting harder to employ on-site school counselors and psychologists. Competition with telehealth providers is not helping.

　　"We have 44 counselor vacancies, and telehealth definitely impacts our ability to fill them," said Doreen Hogans. She is supervisor of school counseling in Prince George's County, Maryland. Hogans estimates 20 percent of school counselors who left have taken teletherapy jobs. The jobs often provide more favorable working hours than the schools.

　　The quick growth of the companies raises questions about the quality of the therapists, and their experience with children and privacy, said Kevin Dahill-Fuchel. He is executive director of Counseling in Schools, a nonprofit that helps schools improve traditional, in-person mental health services.

　　One of the biggest providers is San Francisco-based Hazel Health. It started with telemedicine health services in schools in 2016 and expanded to mental health in May 2021, CEO Josh Golomb said. It now employs more than 300 therapists providing teletherapy in over 150 school districts in 15 states.

　　Other providers are getting into the space. In November, New York City started a free telehealth therapy service for teens to help end barriers to access, said Ashwin Vasan, the city's health commissioner. New York is paying the company TalkSpace $26 million over three years for a service permitting teenagers to download an app and connect with therapists.

　　Unlike other cities, New York is offering the service to all teens, whether attending private, public or home schools, or not in school at all.

　　"I truly hope this normalizes and democratizes access to mental health care for our young people," Vasan said.

　　I'm Dan Novak.

　　Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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　　由Dan Novak

　　2023年12月19日

　　美国的公立学校越来越多地为学生提供在线心理健康服务，或称为远程心理治疗。

　　据美联社报道，美国最大的20个公立学校系统中至少有16个正在为数百万学生提供在线治疗。仅在这些系统中，学校已经签订了价值超过7000万美元的服务提供商合同。

　　这种商业模式赚钱如此之多，以至于风险投资家正在投资新公司，以便随着市场的增长。然而，一些专家对快速增长的科技公司提供的护理质量提出了担忧。

　　但是，教育工作者表示，远程心理治疗对许多孩子来说是有效的，并且正在满足大量的需求。学校也在现场治疗师方面存在短缺。在线帮助使得心理治疗更容易地为孩子们，特别是贫困学生和那些在农村地区的孩子们提供。学校允许学生在学校时间或者在家中课后时间与在线咨询师联系。

　　Ishoo是加利福尼亚州兰开斯特的两个孩子的母亲。她努力帮助她的二年级女儿应对严重的焦虑。

　　去年春天，她的学区开始了一个远程心理治疗项目，Ishoo为她的女儿报名。在家中进行了一个月的每周视频会话后，这个女孩向治疗师敞开了心扉。治疗师给了学生工具和技巧来减少焦虑。

　　"Ishoo说：“她学会了寻求帮助是可以的，有时候每个人都需要一些额外的帮助。”

　　这个有13,000名学生的学校系统，像许多其他学校一样，有咨询师和心理学家在职。但是，兰开斯特的咨询主管Trish Wilson说，这还不足以满足需求。

　　她说，该地区的治疗师病例满载，使得他们无法为学生提供即时的关怀。学生们很少需要等待很长时间才能进行在线会话。

　　学生和他们的父母在采访中表示，他们在与悲伤、孤独、压力和焦虑的感觉斗争后转向了远程心理治疗。对许多人来说，距离学习后返回面对面的学校非常困难。

　　学校正在使用联邦的疫情救济资金来支付帮助，因为专家警告说青少年的抑郁、焦虑和自杀率令人担忧。许多学区正在与私人公司签订合同。其他的则是与当地的医疗提供者、非营利组织或州级项目合作。

　　心理健康专家欢迎这种额外的支持，但也警告可能存在的风险。首先，雇佣现场学校咨询师和心理学家变得越来越困难。与远程健康提供者的竞争并没有帮助。

　　马里兰州乔治王子县的学校咨询主管Doreen Hogans说：“我们有44个咨询师的职位空缺，远程健康无疑影响了我们填补这些空缺的能力。” Hogans估计，有20%的离职学校咨询师已经接受了远程心理治疗的工作。这些工作通常提供比学校更有利的工作时间。

　　Counseling in Schools的执行主任Kevin Dahill-Fuchel表示，这些公司的快速增长引发了关于治疗师的质量，他们与儿童的经验以及隐私的问题。

　　最大的提供商之一是位于旧金山的Hazel Health。CEO Josh Golomb表示，该公司于2016年开始在学校提供远程医疗健康服务，并在2021年5月扩展到心理健康领域。现在，它在15个州的150多个学区雇佣了300多名提供远程心理治疗的治疗师。

　　其他提供商也正在进入这个领域。纽约市卫生专员Ashwin Vasan表示，去年11月，纽约市开始为青少年提供免费的远程健康治疗服务，以帮助消除获取服务的障碍。纽约市将在三年内支付给TalkSpace公司2600万美元，以提供一项服务，允许青少年下载一个应用程序并与治疗师联系。

　　与其他城市不同，纽约市为所有青少年提供这项服务，无论他们是否在私立学校、公立学校或家庭学校上学，甚至根本没有在学校。

　　Vasan说：“我真心希望这能使我们的年轻人接受心理健康护理变得正常化和民主化。”

　　我是Dan Novak。

　　Dan Novak根据美联社的报道，为VOA学习英语改编了这个故事。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　venture capital— n. 用于启动新业务的资金

　　counselor — n.作为工作提供建议的人：为人们提供咨询的人

　　anxiety — n.对可能发生的事情的恐惧或紧张

　　supervise — v.负责

　　vacancy — n. 可供接手的工作或职位

　　impact — n.一件事物撞击另一件事物的行为或力量

　　access — n.接近、到达或接触某物或某人的方式