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Hull Public Schools Partners with William James College to Provide Mental Health Support

Posted on: February 14, 2023 - 9:54am
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A kick-off meeting for the INTERFACE program was held on Tuesday, Jan. 31. (Photo Courtesy Hull Public Schools)

HULL — Superintendent Judith Kuehn is pleased to announce that Hull Public Schools has partnered with William James College to bring INTERFACE, a free outpatient mental health referral service program, to students in the district and all Hull residents.

INTERFACE is a free outpatient mental health resource and referral helpline provided by William James College. The program is designed to easily connect students and residents with outpatient mental health and wellness resources and providers.

"At Hull, it is our mission to support each student's overall success, and that includes their mental health," Superintendent Kuehn said. "The INTERFACE program is a great resource that will reduce the barriers surrounding access to mental health support for students in need. I would like to thank William James College for its support as we initiate this partnership and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for funding this important program through a grant."

Students and residents who choose to take advantage of the program will go through the following process:

  • Intake: Participants will speak with an INTERFACE resource and referral counselor for 15-20 minutes and provide important information to ensure a successful match with outpatient mental health provider options.
  • Making a match: A resource and referral counselor assigned to the participant will review a database of over 9,000 licensed and vetted providers to find a match. INTERFACE strives to match participants with mental health professionals and practices that best meet their needs, insurance or fee requirement, specialty request, location, availability and more.
  • Providing matches: Once a provider match has been identified (generally within 3 weeks of the initial call), the resource and referral counselor will give participants the provider’s information so they can schedule with this provider.
  • Following up: The resource and referral counselor will follow up within one to two weeks of participants receiving the match to ensure they've been able to connect.
  • Closing a referral: Once there is a successful match, the resource and referral counselor will close the referral process. If participants need additional support in the future, they can always call the helpline again.

The service is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m and Tuesday and Thursday from 8 am. to 6 p.m. To access the service, which began Feb. 1, call 888-244-6843. The Helpline is staffed by mental health professionals.

Funding for this initiative was provided to Hull by a Supporting Students’ Social Emotional Learning, Behavioral and Mental Health and Wellness grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

School and town officials attended a kick-off meeting to learn about the INTERFACE program on Tuesday, Jan. 31

Click here to view a helpful flyer to learn more about the program.

Please note that the referral service is not a mental health hotline. In case of an emergency, dial 911.