Summer counseling available for free to DPS families

DENVER – When summer break starts, mental help does not have to stop. Many students get therapy through their schools, now the University of Colorado Denver wants to make sure the help continues.

"We offer 10 sessions to any (Denver Public Schools) student and their family at no cost at all," said Dr. Pat Larsen, director of the Student and Community Counseling Center. "So, it's a real benefit because some of these families and kids would not have access to counseling."

The Student and Community Counseling Center is located in the North Classroom Building on the Auraria Campus. Larsen says part of the Center's mission is to help Denver residents which is why it offers these free sessions to DPS students and families.

"I think having this outlet to come here and be able to talk what's going on is really valuable for them," said Larsen.

The Center helps kids deal with issues ranging from stress management, mourning the death of loved one, dealing with divorce, to self-image.

Christina Casey Perry is a clinical supervisor and psycho-therapist at the Center. Perry has worked with numerous young kids and says if they take a break from their treatment, it could worsen their conditions.

"To have a stop is such a hard blast in their treatment and you'll see them regress often," said Perry. "They'll have a hard time re-connecting again with a counselor if they were to take a three month break during the summer."

Melissa Ottke is a client who is seeking counseling at the center for help with her special needs kids. She says a previous break from therapy was not good for them.

"It definitely had an impact on them," said Ottke. "Consistency is really important for a lot of people."

Therapists say the Center gives clients a place to have those tough conversations they can't have with their friends.

"Here, they're not your friends," said Corina Fernandez, a client seeking help with stress management. "They are someone that is available for you and will listen to what you have to say and that made me feel very comfortable."

Larsen says the free counseling sessions not only help the DPS students and their families, it helps the counselors. They are graduate students who are gaining experience helping people with real-life problems.

"It's essential," said Larsen. "Every single counseling session is supervised live, so they really, really get intense feedback. So, I think it really helps put them ahead of the game when they go on to their internship."

Larsen says each session is monitored via video by a professional therapist who can pick up a microphone and provide immediate feedback and advice. They also record all the sessions and can provide play-by-play instruction on how to help clients even better.

The University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center Student and Community Counseling Center can be contacted at (303) 556-4372. You can find out more at www.cudenver.edu/counselingcenter.

"I think this is such a great secret," said Perry. "For families to be able to access this, I think, is huge."