A new alliance is actively filling this gap by providing free mental health services to Sonoma Valley youth.
The Youth Wellness Alliance, a collaboration between the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, Sonoma Valley Family Therapy, Sonoma Valley Unified School District and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley, has hosted more than 70 individual therapy sessions since its launch in late January 2024.
The sessions have been held at Adele Harrison Middle School, Flowery Elementary School, Prestwood Elementary School and are now being offered at Sonoma Charter School.
Several other organizations in Sonoma Valley also address mental health issues, including the Hanna Center’s Mental Health Hub, which serves as a resource for the entire community.
“What makes this coalition’s contribution unique is that it is a multi-agency collaboration that formed organically in response to a gap in mental health services – specifically, the wait list of students in Sonoma Valley Unified School District who were seeking mental health support but often did not have insurance that covered therapy or counseling services,” said Angela Ryan, outgoing executive director of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, who coordinates the coalition.
The alliance is funded by donations and grants.
“The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, along with other members of the Youth Wellness Alliance, have been working tirelessly over the last six months to acquire the necessary funding to keep this program going and running smoothly,” said Vicki Lawler, co-owner (with Kimmy Peterson) of Sonoma Valley Family Therapy.
For students who receive assistance from the coalition, the process begins with a referral from a school district social worker or Natalie Goddard, director of mental health services at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley.
“The school and I receive students through referrals from teachers, counselors, staff, parents, and students themselves come to us for support,” Goddard said. “We assess the needs of each young person and respond accordingly.”
Sonoma Valley Family Therapy clinicians lead the weekly sessions.
School principals, counselors and teachers will be working closely with all partners to ensure the smooth running of services that will continue throughout the summer.
“School-based mental health services typically operate around the academic year, with the summer being an ‘off’ period when campuses are closed and staff are on holiday,” Ryan said. “Every effort is made to refer students with significant support needs to outside services over the summer, but this is not always reliably achieved.”
“Partnering with Sonoma Valley Family Therapy to provide these services during the summer ensures continuity for students if they need or desire it.”
Peterson stressed the need to address youth mental health issues quickly and consistently.
“We’re experiencing a youth mental health crisis across America,” she says. “Levels of anxiety and depression have risen significantly. Therapy was once taboo, but it’s finally becoming more normalized. It’s no longer a question of if you go to therapy, it’s a question of where you go to therapy and who you see.”
“Early intervention is key to preventing chronic problems, so it makes the most sense to be able to provide counselling services where young people are already at.”
Ryan said the crisis is so severe in part because there aren’t enough clinicians to care for the growing number of people needing mental health care.
“The Youth Health Alliance sought a novel solution to this problem: partnering with a private practice (Sonoma Valley Family Therapy) to create a hybrid position, allowing clinicians to see adult and family patients in the clinic part of the week and students in schools other days,” she said. “Evidence strongly suggests that school-based mental health care is an appropriate solution for adolescents because it removes barriers such as cost and transportation that can impede access to clinical care.”
Lawler praised the coalition’s work.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this incredible alliance that cares so passionately about the well-being of young people,” she said. “We recognize that as a community, we are stronger the more we work together and support one another.”
Reporter Dan Johnson can be contacted at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.
