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Board reviews plan to move Project AWARE therapy to virtual provider Presence
Summary
District staff presented a plan to restructure Project AWARE mental-health services from in-person providers to a virtual teletherapy vendor called Presence, described parent outreach and continuity protocols, and outlined how the program will integrate with the Move This World SEL curriculum and the districts tiered intervention process.
Berkeley County Schools officials presented a plan to transition Project AWARE therapeutic services to a virtual teletherapy vendor, Presence, saying the change is intended to provide licensed therapists and broaden access across the district.
In the presentation, Dr. Alfonso and colleagues said staff proactively contacted families receiving services (49 families who continued therapy over the summer) to explain options, that Presence offers access to a large network of licensed providers, and that virtual services can be provided in all 32 district buildings with a designated school point of contact to supervise and coordinate student sessions. The presenters said East Ridge (the districts existing community partner) would remain a crisis partner for in-person emergency evaluations and psychiatric needs.
District staff described how Presence would be integrated with existing systems: Move This World, the social-emotional learning curriculum, will continue in 12 pilot schools and Presence will use related CASEL competencies during sessions. The district said it will use the Student Assistance Team (SAT) process to route students to tier 3 therapy after tier 1/2 interventions have been monitored for three to six weeks. Presence indicated it performs progress evaluations every six weeks and that therapists will be licensed so services can, when appropriate, be billed to insurance or Medicaid; staff said this licensing requirement was a primary reason for choosing a vendor model.
When board members asked about crisis response, presenters said students showing acute suicidal ideation, psychosis or imminent harm would continue to be triaged to East Ridge or emergency services rather than virtual therapy. Staff also described logistical steps: principals and counseling teams will name a central contact at each school to escort students to sessions and track appointments, and Presence provides a dashboard so district staff can monitor activity.
The presenters said the program will be funded with a competitive grant; during the meeting they stated the district qualified for a multi-year grant and referenced a $500,000 figure. Board members asked clarifying questions about grant timing and start dates; presenters said the grant is for multiple years and that implementation would begin after contract and training steps are complete.
Board members asked questions about capacity, response times and how crises would be handled; presenters said response time under the virtual model is usually measured in days for routine starts but that East Ridge would continue to respond immediately to crisis situations. District staff emphasized that the model is a restructuring of existing services toward teletherapy paired with in-person crisis support, and that data-driven reviews would determine if students are released or moved to ongoing services.
