On October 27, the State of Colorado launched I Matter, a program that provides up to three free counseling sessions for all Colorado youth. More than 700 counseling appointments have been scheduled or completed as of November 18th, and I Matter has contracts with 64 clinicians to provide the services and continues to grow the provider list.
Youth and their parents can visit the I Matter platform to take a confidential online survey about their mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician, primarily via telehealth. All Colorado youth ages 18 or younger—or 21 and younger if receiving special education services—are eligible to receive free services. Youth 12 and older can sign up for counseling sessions without a parent or guardian's consent.
I Matter also has care navigators available who can help youth following their three free sessions, and, where possible, we are connecting youth with providers who accept Medicaid or their insurance. We have resources for uninsured youth as well. If you have questions about the program, please email elizabeth.owens@state.co.us.
