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| Jeff Bayard – School Counselor he/him/his 720-424-0608 jeffrey_bayard@dpsk12.net | Emily Hill – School Social Worker she/her/hers 720-424-0642 emily_hill1@dpsk12.net | Dr. Rachel Michelson – School Psychologist she/her/hers 720-424-0634 rachel_michelson1@dpsk12.net |
If you or somebody you know is having a mental health crisis or there is a concern for student safety, please contact 911 or go to an emergency room.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all mental health resources in Denver nor are any of these specifically recommended or vetted by the staff at Merrill Middle School.
Denver Health School Based Health Center – Place Bridge Academy place.dpsk12.org/academics-programs/denver-health-center/ School-based health centers that offer no-cost child and adolescent care for any DPS student.
iMatter imattercolorado.org Connects youth with a therapist for up to six free sessions – usually virtual, but with some options for in-person counseling. Often has a fairly short waitlist for virtual appointments.
Mental Health Center of Denver (Now WellPower) wellpower.org One of several locations: Dalia Campus (Child and Family Services) 3401 Eudora St, Denver, CO, 80207 (Call: 303-300-6333). Various services, resources, and classes provided for youth, teens, adults, and families.
University of Colorado at Denver Counseling Center Tivoli Student Union – Suite 454 – Auraria Campus Phone: 303-315-7270 ucdenver.edu/counselingcenter Offers DPS students discounted counseling ($5 per session) through their graduate level counseling and psychology program. Community members are paired with graduate students that receive live supervision from doctoral counselors and psychologists.
Care Solace caresolace.com/site/dps This organization provides critical Behavioral Health Care Coordination as an added layer of support. All DPS students and their family members, as well as all DPS employees and their family members, have access to this service. Care Solace provides a care companion to quickly and confidently find available providers in the community. This includes providers who speak a variety of languages and who provide telehealth and in-person services.
Maria Droste Counseling Services 1355 S Colorado Blvd Suite C-100 Denver, CO 80222 303-756-9052 mariadroste.org Offers counseling services for children, teens, couples, and families. They also offer school-based counseling services at 21 DPS elementary schools.
University of Denver Counseling and Educational Services Clinic morgridge.du.edu/counseling-educational-services-clinic/ Located at the Morgridge College of Education, this is a training clinic for graduate students, who receive supervision from a licensed counselor or psychologist. According to their website, the fee is $30 per session, however, they work on a sliding scale fee basis and the average fee is $15 per session.
Aurora Mental Health Center Phone number: 303-617-2300 aumhc.org Aurora Mental Health Center is a private, nonprofit community mental health organization serving people with a wide range of mental health needs. At Aurora Mental Health Center, their goal is to promote mental health to enable people to truly live their life to the fullest, and to treat those who are affected by mental illness.
Judi’s House 10125 E 25th Ave, Aurora, CO 80010 Phone number: 720-941-0331 judishouse.org Judi’s House is a community-based nonprofit bereavement center providing free services for children and families with the vision that no child should be alone in grief.
‘Tips for Talking with Your Child About Mental Health’ from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia- https://www.chop.edu/health-resources/parents-tips-talking-your-child-about-mental-health
‘Tips for Talking to Your Teen About Their Mental Health’- The Jed Foundation https://jedfoundation.org/resource/tips-for-talking-to-your-teen-about-their-mental-health
“15 Questions to Ask Instead of ‘How Was School Today?’”- https://www.edutopia.org/blog/parents-fifteen-questions-replace-how-was-school-today-elena-aguilar. This article suggests open ended questions to garner more information from your tween/teen about school.
“Developmental Characteristics of Teens”- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K-s942W5tj1OCxjWGGGwOhf_7teQ14gY/view?usp=sharing
Operationparent.org– An organization with resources regarding all areas of parenting. They publish Parent Handbook is an informational guidebook for elementary or secondary parents that breaks down all areas of safety including mental health (available for purchase). Additionally, they offer webinars around a number of child safety issues.
Colorado Crisis Number | 1-844-493-8255 | Text “Talk” to 38255 | ColoradoCrisisServices.org
Safe2Tell | 1-877-542-7233 | safe2tell.org
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | call 988 | 988lifeline.org