[dmg_masonry_gallery...
College Bound 2026
read more
Mental Health Care for Youth During a Therapist Shortage
How Just in Time rose to the challenge
As California works to overhaul a mental health system plagued by rising demand for services amid a therapist shortage, Dr. Jill Ault and Just in Time’s Mental Wellness team have accomplished something extraordinary in fiscal year 2024 – Providing more than 2,000 therapy sessions to transition age foster youth free of charge, regardless of insurance, and without having to seek outside referrals for care.
July 11, 2024
Upcoming events
July 15: Financial Fitness 102 Workshop
July 16: Wellness Group Yoga
July 16: Pathways to Financial Power Workshop
July 17: Rise to Resilience Workshop
July 20: My Life, My Story Kayak Outing
(Dr. Jill Ault at College Bound 2024)
“We’ve not been in a position where we’ve had to turn someone away, where we haven’t been able to take someone. We always make it work,” says Dr. Ault
(Dr. Jill Ault showcases Mental Wellness Center )
In light of the current mental healthcare landscape this is no small feat.
In a recent study published in Pychiatric Services researchers posing as patients found that:
???? One-Fifth of the mental health provider phone numbers in the insurer database were wrong.
???? One-quarter of the psychiatrists they contacted were not accepting new patients.
???? Psychiatrists were much less likely to accept Medicaid compared to other forms of payment.
The findings jibe with Dr. Ault’s own experience as a private practitioner before taking the helm as JIT’s Mental Wellness Supervisor.
“Most of the time, someone calling for therapy in the outside world won’t even get a call back because offices are full. If they do get a call, there’s a waiting list or a backlog of appointments that stretches months out.”
Unlike many other mental health care facilities, JIT has not only met the demand for care, but has been able to offer weekly and bi-weekly therapy sessions to meet the individualized needs of youth within the community.
Dr. Ault attributes this success to JIT’s willingness to evolve and grow.
“In our second year, we realized there is something here. We need space. We need people, and even now we continue to evolve and change.”
Since 2020, Just in Time’s Wellness Service has grown from a fledgling pilot program to an established team collaborating with Alliant University to provide up to seven graduate student therapists offering services on-sight, telehealth, family and couples counseling, weekly yoga classes and even art therapy.
Want to learn more about JIT Mental Wellness Resouces?
