Jim Thorpe Area School District plans to pilot a digital mental health program aimed at early intervention, proactive or prevention services for youth.

Kooth’s service, which includes a mobile phone app, features self help content, anonymous safe, moderated forums, journaling, goal setting, and therapeutic activities.

“We’re piloting this at no cost to the district thanks to funding from the Pennsylvania General Assembly,” Jim Thorpe Superintendent Robert Presley said Tuesday. “We will be meeting with their team next week and hope to kick this off in early February.”

The web based counseling program was awarded a grant through the state Department of Human Services.

Through the app, according to the Kooth website, youth can engage with a qualified counselor through chat messages, write and respond to (pre-moderated) forum posts, write and read (pre-moderated) magazine articles, message the team, complete challenges on an interactive hub, and write a personal online journal.

“Young people are experiencing mental health problems at a rate we have never seen before and at a time of provider shortage,” said Kooth U.S. General Manager Kevin Winters. “At Kooth, we knew we needed a different approach and that’s why we’ve focused on prevention in an accessible format able to reach a younger generation.

“We are thrilled to partner with Pennsylvania on this pilot program and look forward to seeing its success in many, many school districts.”

According to U.S. Center for Disease Control data, of American youths aged 12-17, 1 in 3 have persistent feelings of sadness, 4 in 10 have issues that are going untreated, and 1 in 6 have made a suicide plan.

The target group, according to a program brochure, is students with emotional well-being and/or emerging mental health problems and students who are hard to reach and do not engage with services through traditional routes.

Presley said more information on the program is available on the school district’s website, including a video and brochure outlining the service.

“We’ll be putting out more information as we continue to set up the program,” he said.