Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced “TeenSpace,” a free mental health platform for New York City teens.
Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
New York City has created a new health initiative intended to help young students connect with mental health professionals in an accessible way.
Starting Wednesday, all New York City youth ages 13 to 17 will be able to connect via phone, text or video call for free with a licensed therapist through the city’s new online mental health service, TeenSpace, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday alongside the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The new service is part of the Adams administrations’ “Working People’s Agenda” and “Care, Community, Action,” initiatives.
Eligible teens who are struggling with their mental health need will be able to register with TeenSpace, where they will then take online assessments and educational exercises to determine what services they may require.
If the teen decides to proceed with therapy, they’ll need to enter a parent or guardian’s information in to TeenSpace so as to obtain consent from the guardian before being paired with an experienced and licensed counselor, whom they can message through the app any time. Additionally, users will have the ability to schedule once-a-month 30 minute live virtual sessions with their therapist.
However, if it is determined that the child will need more extensive and regular mental health care, they will have to be referred to a therapist or specialist outside of TeenSpace, which can be difficult.
Young people continue to experience more difficulties with their mental health, in particular Black and Brown children and those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded those difficulties for many New Yorkers.
While TeenSpace will not be able to fulfill all the myriad mental health needs of the city’s youth, Adams and other health…
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