Text Counseling App Counslr Expands Access at Aztec High School
The text based mental health platform Counslr was introduced at Aztec High School in late October, and student and staff use has increased since the rollout. The service offers around the clock text support, which local counselors say fills gaps in care for students who face barriers to in person help.
Aztec High School began offering the text based counseling platform Counslr in late October, giving students and staff another option for mental health support. School social emotional counselor Kimberly Thornton said the number of student users rose from two to 22 since the rollout, while staff users increased from four to eight. The service follows an earlier launch at Vista Nueva High School in February and was introduced at Aztec after staff at Vista Nueva shared results.
Thornton said a Counslr representative regularly shares aggregate data on user numbers, conversation topics and usage times. "One thing that I thought was really interesting in what she sent to us was the times that the kids accessed," Thornton said. "It was like, 10 p.m., 2 a.m. so that's really cool that these kiddos, when they really needed to reach out, they had somebody to reach out to."
Thornton is the only social emotional counselor on site, with support from school social worker Kalee Wilmer. Academic counseling at the school is provided through separate channels. Outside of Counslr, Aztec High School operates the Be The Hope program for at risk students in partnership with Brandarius Johnson, and the school is participating as a pilot with the Public Education Department and the Department of Health to help build a district mental health program.
School leaders said addressing substance use is a priority and bringing in outside agencies has been part of their response. Thornton said the app helps reach students who might not otherwise connect with on campus services. "The kids that are coming to us, they're just wanting somebody to support them," she said. "They're just wanting to know that there's a relationship there, and that there's somebody that cares." Thornton also emphasized confidentiality as a reason students trust the platform. "I'm hoping it's filling in the gaps when we're either not able to be there or they're just maybe not ready to come and talk to somebody."
For San Juan County, the expansion underscores both opportunity and need. Rural schools frequently contend with limited mental health staffing and youth facing barriers to traditional care, and text based services can provide after hours access and anonymity. As the district pilot with state agencies continues, measuring outcomes and ensuring sustainable funding will be crucial to translate early uptake into lasting gains for student wellbeing.
