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Public schools in the United States are increasingly employing online mental health services, or teletherapy, for students.
美国越来越多的公立学校为学生提供在线心理健康服务，即远程治疗。
At least 16 of the 20 largest American public school systems are offering online therapy to reach millions of students, reports the Associated Press.
据美联社报道，美国20所最大的公立学校系统中至少有16所正在为数百万学生提供在线治疗。
In those systems alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million.
仅在这些系统中，学校就签署了价值超过7000万美元的供应商合同。
The business model is making so much money that venture capitalists are investing in new companies as the market grows.
这种商业模式赚钱很多，以至于随着市场的增长，风险资本家开始投资新公司。
However, some experts have raised concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies.
然而，一些专家对快速发展的科技公司提供的医疗服务质量表示担忧。
But educators say teletherapy works for many kids and is meeting a large need.
但教育工作者表示，远程治疗对许多孩子有效，并满足了大量需求。
Schools are also experiencing shortages in on-site therapists.
学校也面临着现场治疗师短缺的问题。
Online help has made therapy more easily available to children, especially poorer students and those in rural areas.
在线帮助使学生，尤其是贫困学生和农村地区的学生更容易获得治疗。
Schools let students connect with online counselors during the school day or after hours from home.
学校允许学生在上学期间或下班后与在线咨询师联系。
Ishoo is a mother of two in Lancaster, California.
伊索是两个孩子的母亲，住在加利福尼亚州兰卡斯特。
She struggled to help her second-grade daughter deal with severe anxiety.
她努力帮助二年级的女儿应对严重的焦虑。
Last spring, her school district started a teletherapy program and Ishoo signed up her daughter.
去年春天，她所在的学区启动了一个远程治疗项目，伊索给她的女儿报名了。
During a month of weekly video sessions at her home, the girl opened up to a therapist.
在一个月的时间里，这个女孩在她家每周以视频通话的方式接受一次治疗，她向治疗师敞开了心扉。
The therapist gave the student tools and techniques to reduce anxiety.
治疗师给这位学生提供了减轻焦虑的工具和技巧。
"She learned that it's OK to ask for help, and sometimes everyone needs some extra help," Ishoo said.
伊索说：“她了解到寻求帮助是可以的，有时每个人都需要一些额外的帮助。”
The 13,000-student school system, like many others, has counselors and psychologists on staff.
和许多其他学校一样，这个拥有1.3万名学生的学校系统也有咨询师和心理学家。
But it is not enough to meet the need, said Trish Wilson, the Lancaster supervisor of counseling.
但这还不足以满足需求，兰卡斯特咨询主管特蕾西·威尔逊说。
Therapists in the area have full caseloads, making it impossible to offer students immediate care, she said.
她说，该地区的治疗师工作量很大，因此不可能为学生提供即时治疗。
Students rarely have to wait long for an online session.
学生很少需要为在线治疗等待很长时间。
Students and their parents said in interviews they turned to teletherapy after struggling with feelings of sadness, loneliness, stress and anxiety.
学生和家长在接受采访时表示，在与悲伤、孤独、压力和焦虑作斗争后，他们求助于远程治疗。
For many, returning to in-person school after distance learning was very difficult.
对于许多人来说，在远程学习结束后重返学校非常困难。
Schools are using federal pandemic relief money to pay for help as experts have warned of worrying rates of youth depression, anxiety and suicide.
由于专家警告称，青少年抑郁、焦虑和自杀的比例令人担忧，学校正在使用联邦新冠救济资金来支付费用。
Many school districts are signing contracts with private companies.
许多学区在与私营公司签订合同。
Others are working with local health care providers, nonprofits or state programs.
其他学区则与当地医疗服务提供者、非营利组织或州政府项目合作。
Mental health experts welcome the extra support but warn about possible risks.
心理健康专家对这种额外的支持表示欢迎，但也警告可能存在的风险。
For one, it is getting harder to employ on-site school counselors and psychologists.
首先，聘请现场学校咨询师和心理学家变得越来越困难。
Competition with telehealth providers is not helping.
远程医疗服务提供商之间的竞争也无济于事。
"We have 44 counselor vacancies, and telehealth definitely impacts our ability to fill them," said Doreen Hogans.
多琳·霍根斯说：“我们有44个咨询师空缺，远程医疗肯定会影响我们填补这些空缺的能力”。
She is supervisor of school counseling in Prince George's County, Maryland.
她是马里兰州乔治王子县的学校咨询主管。
Hogans estimates 20 percent of school counselors who left have taken teletherapy jobs.
霍根斯估计，离开学校的咨询师中有20%从事了远程治疗的工作。
The jobs often provide more favorable working hours than the schools.
这类工作往往比学校提供更有利的工作时间。
The quick growth of the companies raises questions about the quality of the therapists, and their experience with children and privacy, said Kevin Dahill-Fuchel.
凯文·达希尔-富切尔说，这些公司的快速发展引发了人们对治疗师的资历以及他们在与儿童沟通和保护隐私方面的经验的质疑。
He is executive director of Counseling in Schools, a nonprofit that helps schools improve traditional, in-person mental health services.
他是学校咨询组织的执行董事，这是一个帮助学校改善传统的面对面心理健康服务的非营利性组织。
One of the biggest providers is San Francisco-based Hazel Health.
最大的供应商之一是总部设在旧金山的Hazel Health公司。
It started with telemedicine health services in schools in 2016 and expanded to mental health in May 2021, CEO Josh Golomb said.
该公司首席执行官乔希·戈洛姆表示，该公司于2016年开始在学校提供远程医疗健康服务，并于2021年5月扩展到心理健康领域。
It now employs more than 300 therapists providing teletherapy in over 150 school districts in 15 states.
它目前雇佣了300多名治疗师，在15个州的150多个学区提供远程治疗。
Other providers are getting into the space.
其他供应商也在进入这一领域。
In November, New York City started a free telehealth therapy service for teens to help end barriers to access, said Ashwin Vasan, the city's health commissioner.
纽约市卫生专员阿什温·瓦桑表示，11月，纽约市开始为青少年提供免费的远程医疗健康服务，以帮助消除获取服务的障碍。
New York is paying the company TalkSpace $26 million over three years for a service permitting teenagers to download an app and connect with therapists.
纽约将在三年内向TalkSpace公司支付2600万美元，用于购买一项允许青少年下载应用程序并与治疗师联系的服务。
Unlike other cities, New York is offering the service to all teens, whether attending private, public or home schools, or not in school at all.
与其他城市不同的是，纽约向所有青少年提供这项服务，无论他们是在私立学校、公立学校就读或在家接受教育，或者根本不在学校上学。
"I truly hope this normalizes and democratizes access to mental health care for our young people," Vasan said.
瓦桑说：“我真心希望这能使我们的年轻人获得心理健康治疗的途径正常化和民主化。”
I'm Dan Novak.
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