Salt Lake City Schools Offering Free Mental Health Counseling For Students

SALT LAKE CITY — Students’ normal routines have been disrupted by the pandemic for months, and experts say the lack of social interaction is impacting their mental health.

But officials with the Salt Lake City School District want students who are struggling with their mental health to know that they are not alone.

The district is once again offering free counseling to students who need someone to talk to through a partnership with Odyssey House and their team of therapists.

When the pandemic hit and students were learning remotely last summer, the district and Odyssey House offered free counseling.

As more students faced more stress, isolation and anxiety, Christina Zidow, chief operating officer of The Odyssey House, said it was evident these services should continue.

“I think there’s going to continue to be significant amount of demand for mental health services. One of the great things is that we’re now all actually talking about it and understanding how critical mental health care is,” she said.

Thanks to a grant, a partnership with Salt Lake County Behavioral Health and support from the Salt Lake Education Foundation, the counseling is free to any student who does not have health insurance.

Odyssey has clinicians in each of the five Salt Lake County school districts.

If you’d like to make an appointment, you can check with your child’s school. You can also fill out a form here.