Utah School Mental Health Collaborative partners with Live Like Sam and WeBeWell to support student well-being

The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative (USMHC) has partnered with the Live Like Sam Foundation and WeBeWell to bolster student mental health support in Summit and Wasatch counties. Photo: The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative

PARK CITY, UT — The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative (USMHC) has partnered with the Live Like Sam Foundation and WeBeWell to bolster student mental health support in Summit and Wasatch counties.

“In order to have a positive impact on youth at risk for anxiety or depression, we need group and collaborative interventions that teach resilience, coping skills, and wellbeing. This partnership does that,” said Aaron Fischer, founder of the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative.

The USMHC, established by Dr. Aaron Fischer in 2021, collaborates with K-12 schools across Utah to provide mental health services. The organization works with local and state entities to develop and implement strong mental health programs, ensuring students receive timely care.

The Live Like Sam Foundation, a prominent nonprofit in Summit and Wasatch counties, focuses on positivity-based programs for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. The foundation was created to honor Sam Jackenthal, a Park City athlete who passed away at 16 following a ski accident in 2015. Live Like Sam’s mission is to promote mental health, well-being, and life skills, impacting over 4,000 local youth in 2024.

Live Like Sam has launched the Thrive program in collaboration with WeBeWell, a Utah-based mental health organization. Thrive, designed by WeBeWell, is an evidence-based initiative aimed at students in grades 6-12. It teaches well-being, resilience, and mental health skills rooted in positive and clinical psychology.

Through their partnership, USMHC and Live Like Sam will work with school mental health teams and administrators to identify at-risk students. These students will then be offered free access to the Thrive program. This initiative represents a significant step toward addressing mental health challenges among youth in Utah.

The organizations will work together to provide counseling, therapy, and workshops to support students, families, and communities in Summit and Wasatch counties.