School District of Superior

Supporting Your Mental Health: Superior Partners with Cartwheel

Posted on 09/29/2025

Supporting Your Mental Health: Superior Partners with Cartwheel

SUPERIOR, WI - Building the strongest Spartan community possible is done by working together with our local partners and organizations. As a school district, we have worked hard to provide our students with as many mental health services as possible. These services are integrated into our schools and standard practices, and we've created the time and space for them. Over time, we've noticed some persistent challenges. Students can still face long wait times to start therapy, and staff turnover at these agencies can disrupt a student's care. 

 

To help address these issues, the School District of Superior will partner with Cartwheel, a new telehealth therapy service for the 2025-2026 school year. This will help reduce wait times and provide consistent access to care for students and families. Cartwheel is a pilot program for this school year. It will not replace existing partnerships with Lake Superior Community Health Center, Encouragement Clinic, SOAR, Highlands Restoration and Wellness, etc.. Cartwheel is an additional partnership that provides virtual therapy to students at home or in schools. 

 

“Cartwheel has been awesome to have another option to offer students and families seeking mental health support,” said Carrie Hennessey, Mental Health and Family Services Coordinator at the School District of Superior. “Getting them connected quickly to online support, with fewer barriers to insurance, has already made the process easier.”

 

District School Counselors can make referrals, working with students and families to address challenges interfering with day-to-day living, to fully participate and learn at school. Most insurances cover Cartwheel and will follow the family's private coverage. Those with Medicaid will be covered without any barriers. Special accommodations could be made for students who do not qualify for insurance coverage or a plan. Families must speak with the School Counselor and Administration for more information. 

 

 

Oftentimes, families are the first to recognize that their child might need mental health support but arenʼt sure where to start. Cartwheel is now offering a way for families to directly raise their hand for mental health support for their child. Some challenges Cartwheel can help with are:

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Depression

• Sadness

• Grief or loss

• Low self-esteem

• Self-harm

• Navigating identity

• Technology use

• And More
  

 

“Whether it's school staff seeing a student struggling or a family reaching out to the school for support that is beyond their scope, this partnership helps school counselors directly and quickly connect students to services. Our goal is to help students find ways to be successful in school and life!” said Hennessey. 

We are optimistic that this added layer of support will positively impact the mental health and well-being of our Spartans and our learning community. 

 

As we launch this pilot program, it's important to remember that its future depends on a few key factors. The quality of our services and their positive impact on student outcomes will be our primary measures of success. The long-term continuation of this program is also tied to our funding. The current lack of committed revenue from state legislators and the ongoing threat to federal funds continue to impact the school district’s operating budget. 

 

“Even with some strong partnerships with community organizations coming into our schools with fabulous services, we still see a need to support younger students and their families better. Cartwheel does this!” said Hennessey.

 

Reach out to your child’s school counselor if you are curious if Cartwheel or another School Based Therapist is the right fit.

 

 

Learn more about Cartwheel, common mental health signs to look for, and check out these helpful FAQs

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Superior Family Feedback

“I just wanted to let you know that Cartwheel is awesome! It’s super easy to use and they schedule appointments out for a few months at a time which really helpful 😀” - Elementary Parent