Kirkland Teen Union Building expands free mental-health access with full-time counselor from Youth Eastside Services

Caitlin Mulligan, a counselor with Youth Eastside Services, is working full time at the Kirkland Teen Union Building to provide free mental-health services, drop-in support, and youth-led programming for local teens.

The placement gives teens a non‑school location for private, one‑on‑one counseling and for programs that include cooking classes, art studio time, recording-studio training, open mics and a forthcoming youth advisory board. “It's an after school drop in space … it's totally free for teens in the area who … wanna come here and hang out, get some homework done, get snacks, play games,” Mulligan said.

The counselor role is funded through Youth Eastside Services, a nonprofit mental-health agency that serves Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish and partners with the city and Lake Washington School District to place counselors in schools and community centers. Mulligan told the podcast that she is at K Tub 40 hours a week and that the teen center operates roughly 20 hours per week for drop-in activities; she said teens can walk in, email, or call to request services and that contact information will be included in the show's notes.

Staff and partners at K Tub emphasized programming that intentionally centers teen voices. The facility maintains a suggestion whiteboard, a collaborative music playlist, and plans to convene a youth advisory/leadership group to review programming, policies and proposals. Mulligan described the advisory group as an opportunity “to learn how to advocate for that change” and to expand teen leadership beyond the center.

K Tub runs scheduled activities — cooking classes using microwaves and air fryers, art studio days in partnership with local nonprofit For Tomorrow, recording-studio classes where teens wrote and recorded original songs, Dungeons & Dragons sessions, and peer support groups. The recording studio was described as newly installed, with teens recently completing an eight‑week class on production and songwriting.

Transportation options include one-way shuttles to K Tub from Kamiakin High School (Tuesdays and Fridays) and Finn Hill (Mondays and Thursdays); organizers ask families to sign up on the city’s CivicRec portal to secure and expand shuttle service. Mulligan said some teens also take public buses or walk from nearby schools such as Kirkland Middle School.

The hosts and Mulligan encouraged families and teens to follow the Kirkland Teen Union Building on the City of Kirkland website, Facebook and Instagram for schedules, hours and registration links. Upcoming K Tub events include an end‑of‑summer outdoor party on Saturday, Aug. 30 and a “back to K Tub” week of events in mid‑September.

K Tub and Youth Eastside Services staff emphasized that the center’s mental‑health supports are intended to be trauma‑informed and stigma‑reducing. Mulligan said staff work to embed wellness practices throughout the site and to make the space comfortable and familiar so teens can request help when they need it.

For parents seeking contact details or to make transportation or program signups, Mulligan said the CivicRec listings and the city K Tub web pages include current hours and registration links.