A program delivering free, one-on-one tele-counseling to schools in rural Montana is set to more than double in size this year. It’s helping some school counselors lighten their load.
Amy Iversen serves as a school counselor for about 175 students in the tiny town of Bainville, just a few miles from the North Dakota border. It’s a job that keeps her on her toes.
“One period, I’ll be helping seniors fill out scholarships and apply to college, and the next, I’m down in kindergarten reading a story and talking about feelings and all those fun things, so it never gets boring,” Iversen said.
Iversen said wearing so many hats makes it hard to provide direct counseling to students who need extra support. That’s where the University of Montana Safe Schools Center came in.
Tammy Tolleson Knee runs the center’s virtual counseling program. It connects counseling and psychology graduate students at UM to rural students needing mental, behavioral or academic health support.
Grant funding and volunteer interns make the program free of charge to schools. Tolleson Knee said feedback has been positive.
“Schools just saying, ‘Wow, I no longer have to be all things to all kids. There’s resources for us, even though we’re rural, that we haven’t had before,’” Tolleson Knee said.
Bainville counselor Amy Iversen agreed. She said the program gave seven of her students access to mental health care that may have otherwise been unavailable in the rural community.
The Montana Safe Schools Center served 24 students last year. This year, it’s aiming for more than double that.
