Soon, an internet connection may be all it takes for children at school to get the behavioral health help they might need.
This fall, Children's Health will use telemedicine in schools to connect students with behavioral health experts.
The telemedicine model is already proving successful for a Royse City family who used to drive 35 minutes for the therapy their 8-year-old son needs.
"Being here, he can just sit here in our bedroom, sit in the kitchen, in a room away from the little ones and he'll talk to her," said Jessica Masters, mother to Josh Masters.
On the laptop screen is licensed professional counselor Angeleena May, from Children's Health in downtown Dallas.
She but is able to treat Josh for his ADHD with the few clicks of a mouse.
"Then I'm able to talk to her about how their meeting went, what we need to work with and then the meeting is over. We never even had to have the battle of putting on shoes or anything," Jessica Masters said.
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This fall, the same technology will connect students at school with their behavioral therapists, giving more families access to behavioral health specialists and potentially catching mental health problems like depression.
"Our assessment skills are getting better as we learn more about depression and those factors that cause it, so we are better able to identify. That's again why early identification is so key," said Jason Isham, manager of behavioral health at Children's Health.
The virtual visits are also said to ease anxiety in children.
Jessica Masters said her son is able to talk more openly while in a familiar environment.
"He's able to open up to her and he's comfortable where he's at it. He doesn't have to deal with the anxiety that he already has," she said.
Children's Health will partner with a select number of schools in August for the pilot program.
