Council questions scope and licensing of counseling services for summer youth program

Council members questioned staff July 1 about an agreement with Andrews Counseling and Consulting PLLC to provide counseling services for the city's summer youth program and asked about licensing, hours and reimbursable expenses.

City staff said Andrews Counseling will provide group therapy sessions during the summer program rather than clinical one-on-one services. Staff said there are four members of the Andrews team, and that Travis (last name not specified on the record) is licensed in Kentucky; group therapy as described on the record is not required to be licensed in Kentucky. Staff also said the contractors will be reimbursed for certain expenses, and that those reimbursable costs are included within the $39,000 contract amount rather than in addition to it.

Councilmember Beasley and others asked how often the contractors would be on-site. Staff said Andrews counselors attend the program on Tuesdays and sometimes Thursdays, typically for about two to three hours per day while multiple group sessions run concurrently. Staff estimated roughly 30–32 hours of direct on-site counseling work for the summer program, and added that Andrews also helped develop the program plan prior to camp.

Staff also described a planned mobile or app-based tool developed by Andrews that allows enrolled youth, with parental consent, to track emotional regulation through music and other resources. For ongoing care beyond the summer program, staff said in-school mentoring and city connections to local counseling agencies are part of the continuum, and parents are informed of referral options when signing youth up for the program.

No formal vote on the agreement was recorded during the work session; the item was discussed as part of new business and placed on the docket for the July 1 council meeting.