Free counseling program for Boise-area students, families to end in 2025

A program that offers free counseling for families and students enrolled in Boise, Kuna and West Ada school districts in the Treasure Valley is set to end next year.

Central District Health on Monday announced the Student & Family Assistance Program is set to end at the end of 2024, and reminded students and families to access its free mental health resources. 

Even if students don’t participate in the program, eligible family members such as parents, guardians and siblings can use it, according to a news release by Central District Health.

“This is a confidential and free-to-families resource to help students and families get the mental well-being support they need in order to be successful in school and life,” Dana Menlove, BPA Health chief operating officer, said in a statement.

The two-year pilot program is a partnership between the health district serving the Boise area, BPA Health and the school districts. School districts plan to stop approving new counseling requests at the end of the year, but clients can schedule sessions through March 31, 2025, the release said. 

The program will still be available through BPA Health in the Twin Falls, Kimberly, Wendell and Nez Perce school districts. 

The Boise-area program was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, Central District Health policy analyst Connor Young said in a statement. 

“ARPA funds were intended to address the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and were earmarked to end in 2024. While we applied for other funding sources, we were not able to secure new funds and are not able at this point in time to continue this program beyond 2024,” he said.