From the city’s 2024 report (PDF) on youth mental health

Seattle has announced $7 million in new partnerships as it expands mental health services for teens and young adults.

The spending was included in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s priorities as his office responded with a $14.5 million plan focused on intervention, mental health, and “school-based safety specialists” following last year’s deadly shooting at Garfield High School.

The spending announced this week includes a new partnership with Talkspace, an online therapy platform, increased staffing at school-based health centers, and “other holistic approaches,” plus seven local mental health and wellness organization serving youth ages 13 to 24 “through a suite of virtual and in-person care options,” the city said,

The funding through the Department of Education and Early Learning will expand access to in-person and telehealth mental health services to support Seattle’s middle and high school students, as well as youth up to age 24, in 2025 and 2026.

The new services are being readied to launch early this year.

Talkspace is already providing youth and families “with a variety of telehealth options so that they can choose the virtual therapy services that best meet their needs.” Since launching in December, over 100 students have accessed mental health services through Talkspace, the city says.

The funding will also support seven additional organizations:

• Asian Counseling and Referral Service ($180,000): Specializing in culturally responsive services for Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
• Consejo Counseling and Referral Services ($201,000): Serving the Latinx and BIPOC populations with integrated mental health and substance use disorder care.
• Therapy Fund Foundation ($750,000): Focusing on accessible, culturally specific mental health care for Black communities and other historically marginalized groups.
• Seneca Family of Agencies ($168,000): Providing trauma-informed care to youth and families impacted by systemic marginalization.
• Joon/Joon Care ($1,024,000): A Seattle-based organization offering youth-centered telehealth therapy with a tech-forward, app-based approach.
• Seattle Children’s Hospital – Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic ($778,000): Delivering whole-person care to a diverse patient base, emphasizing behavioral health.
• Southwest Youth and Family Services ($398,000): A longstanding provider of holistic behavioral health services in West Seattle and South King County.

The city says it is also hiring additional mental health counselors and behavioral care coordinator positions in 21 school-based health centers managed by Public Health – Seattle & King County. “These 42 new positions will provide in-person support to students who need clinical interventions while also being able to make referrals to other services as needed, including telehealth,” the city says.

To access virtual mental health care with Talkspace visit: https://www.talkspace.com/seattle

To learn more about the telehealth providers named in this announcement and access care, please click the organization websites linked above, or visit: http://www.seattle.gov/youthmentalhealth

To find additional information about 988 and related resources available through the city’s Reach Out initiative, visit: https://www.seattle.gov/reach-out.

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