Our mission is to de-stigmatize mental health services and make supporting students’ social and emotional well-being the norm in our local schools. We want to provide all students with the continuity of support they need, from the first day of kindergarten until they graduate from high school, to be successful in school and life.
Where CASSY Comes In
We are a nonprofit agency that partners with schools to provide professional mental health services to students in their academic setting.
Our therapists are compassionate, extremely competent and conveniently located right on campus. All services are free to the student and their parents.
With CASSY, there are no cost, transportation, or insurance barriers to prevent students from getting the help they need. CASSY has proven that when you put highly qualified postgraduate therapists on the school campus, students will come in and get help.
Convenient access to mental health services means more students seek the help they need. Some once or twice. Some every week for years. Being school-based is absolutely the key.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”
-Vivian Green
Kids All Get the Support They Need
By removing the social and emotional obstacles that make it difficult to focus on academics, we give young people a chance to get the most out of the educational opportunities that are provided to them. When we improve students’ social and emotional wellbeing, academic achievement tends to follow.
As an innovative nonprofit agency, we are both ambitious and pragmatic. Our mission is to destigmatize mental health services and make supporting students’ social and emotional well-being the norm in our local schools.
We envision a world where all kids get the social and emotional support they need to be successful in school and in life. At the same time, we understand that creating such a utopia will take a serious commitment from our schools, financial support from our communities, and tireless work by our therapists day in and day out.
PROGRAM LAUNCH HISTORY
YOUNG PEOPLE NEED OUR SUPPORT
In a given year, 20% of young people experience mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, academic stress, low self-esteem, and substance abuse.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of these kids do not receive the treatment they need. Left untreated, many teens contemplate suicide, the third leading cause of death for young people today.
The good news is that quality treatment can help. The challenge, however, is connecting these kids with the treatment they need. Families often find it difficult to find and pay for qualified professionals, let alone getting these kids to the therapist’s office.
Studies show that students are far more likely to seek counseling when it is available at their school, especially if it is free.