HCPS is committed to supporting the social, emotional health, mental health and wellness of HCPS students. Every HCPS school and program has a school-based mental health team, which includes a school counseling department along with an assigned school psychologist and school social worker. The team plays an essential role in providing a tiered model of school mental health support for all students. Select from the menu on the left to learn more about each provider on HCPS’ school-based mental health team and available related services and support.

HCPS has partnered with Care Solace, a care-coordination service that works to quickly connect students, families and staff members to the right help at the right time, regardless of insurance — at no cost to you. The dedicated, multilingual Care Solace team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Care Solace can help research community mental health care options on your behalf that match your needs and preferences, quickly secure appointments and follow up to make sure it was a good fit.

(Grades 9-12): HCPS has partnered with Hazel Health to help eliminate barriers to quality mental health care services for all high school students, at no cost to families. With parent/guardian permission, Hazel Health’s licensed therapists can connect with students for weekly virtual therapy sessions from home to help students deal with depression, anxiety, loneliness, personal relationships, anger, academic stress, grief and loss, motivation and more.

HCPS partners with CReST to provide quick mobile response for HCPS students ages 5-18 who are experiencing an acute crisis. CReSt staff works with students, parents and guardians and school staff members to reduce the cycles of crises and prevent the need for more intense care. CReST will help triage and problem-solve the crisis at hand, identify ongoing treatment needs, link to community providers and provide community-based counseling.

The Crisis Receiving Center at St. Joseph’s Villa serves as a 23-hour emergency room alternative that provides immediate help for students ages 7-17 experiencing mental health crises, along with their families. Following admission to the CRC at St. Joseph's Villa, a multidisciplinary team of qualified professionals conduct health and psychiatric assessments, provide crisis stabilization services and make essential connections to community resources.

Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services' Youth and Family Services program serves students between the ages of 3 and 18 and their families affected by emotional, behavioral and substance-use challenges. The department provides quality mental health care and substance-use treatment services. HPCS and Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services also collaborate to provide co-located clinical mental health teams on-site at two HCPS school campuses (Virginia Randolph and Fairfield Middle School), with plans to expand this model each year.

Tucker Pavilion works with HCPS families in need to provide individualized care plans tailored for children 5-12 years old and teens 13-17 years old who are dealing with emotional and behavioral challenges. A full spectrum of care is available, ranging from outpatient therapy and psychiatry to an intensive outpatient program, partial hospitalization program and inpatient hospitalization.

As part of its response to mental health crises, HCPS partners with HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response teams of certified handlers and specifically trained crisis-response canines. The teams provide emotional comfort and support to students and staff who have experienced a recent crisis, disaster or difficult loss.

All 11 HCPS high schools and programs have a student-led Active Minds chapter that empowers students to change the conversation about mental health and suicide prevention. Along with an adult sponsor, students work to promote positive mental health and wellness, raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, and encourage students who are struggling to reach out and seek help from a trusted adult.