Aspen Hope Center expands mental health support in schools

Snowmass Sun
February 19, 2025
Staff reporter: Romina Cabrera

Aspen Hope Center (AHC) continues to expand its programs that help bridge the gap in accessible mental health services through collaboration with schools to help support some of the Valley’s most vulnerable youth and individuals.

AHC started in 2009 and focuses on three key aspects of mental health response: prevention, intervention and postvention. One of its biggest programs is a partnership with local schools that brings education together with mental health, previously seen as something separate to be addressed outside of school walls.

AHC and the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) began this partnership when they saw a growing need to ensure that students, especially young children, are able to access the mental health support they need, said Bridget Derkash, director of AHC’s school-based program.

“When kids are mentally well and when they are well rested, they perform much better in school,” she said. “We know that students are going to learn better if they feel supported.”

Mental health, and especially suicidality among youth, remains a concern despite significant drops in impression indicators on depression in the region, according to a 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.

Students deal with a lot of conflating factors, from home problems to financial worries and the ever-present peer pressure compounded by social media. Mental health is a struggle for many families, especially with the limited number of professionals in the Valley and steep fees that often come with consultations.

This is where the school-based program comes in, providing the necessary prevention aspect that aims to promote mental wellness and resilience among the youth. Under this program, AHC brings in clinicians to help support students from elementary to high school who are struggling. The primary concern is bringing clinicians, who students can see as trusted adults, onto school premises.

“Once the mental health providers are in the schools, they are doing the work. We see that in the data, even if we have some areas of concern, we are seeing a shift,” said Kelly Medina, director of Student and Family Services for RFSD.

There are eight schools in the district that tap AHC for mental health services. “Our schools from Glenwood, Carbondale and Basalt utilize [AHC] for their crisis response,” Medina said. “They are filling the crisis response gap,” as well as offering other services. Other schools differ in their approach as they blend funding, fundraising and grant dollars including from the Colorado Department of Education to hire their service providers internally. 

Last semester, from August to December, AHC’s school-based program served 1,722 students with individual and group therapy. There were also over 22,000 students who took emotional and mental health well-being classes. 

“Schools are so capable and they have this foundation, the extra support helps alleviate and take some of the pressure off of them,” Derkash said.

From one clinician in 2011 to 20 clinicians this year, the organization has grown its footprint in local schools. The number of clinicians providing services directly correlates with the quality of service that students receive, especially as mental health support can weigh heavy on professionals. The intensity of the work and schedule of attending to individual needs can take its toll and lead to professionals eventually leaving, posing a challenge for providers.

“You hold a lot for the clients that you serve. Because of that, it can be easy to burn out,” Derkash explained. To address the issue of high turnover and ensure top services, AHC has implemented a cap on the number of students a clinician can serve.

Derkash and Medina also agreed that funding remains one of the biggest challenges in providing mental health services.

“We saw a reduction in grants and funding from our local cities and counties that we serve. That has impacted us as funding streams are getting reduced for mental health services,” said Derkash.

“We live in a valley that has a lot of resources for mental health, which is great. But when we look at how schools are using school-based mental health programs, our biggest challenge is stable funding,” added Medina. 

Still, Derkash said that AHC is looking to continue to grow its services both in the school-based program and outside with its broad partnerships with other organizations. AHC is also working with law enforcement, particularly with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, for its crisis response.

AHC provides crisis intervention, stabilization and recovery while operating a 24-hour “HopeLine” with its clinicians (970-925-5858 for Aspen to Glenwood Springs, 970-945-3728 for New Castle to Parachute). 

“The Sheriff’s Office is proud to be partners with [AHC],” said Garfield County Patrol Commander Josh Osborne. “The Hope Center’s team of trained clinicians collaborate directly with Sheriff’s Office deputies to co-respond and work through these mental health crisis calls for service.” He noted they have observed “successful resolutions through the implementation of this response model.”

AHC is looking to further grow its outpatient services, especially targeting youth outside of schools, as well as other individuals in the community who need extra support.

“We know that sending people to the hospital is great but can be difficult. If there are more ways to keep them in the Valley and support them, mental health will be stronger,” Derkash concluded.

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