Anabel Ibarra, School Principal

"Alongside is a game changer. It's the first level of support for our students."

Middle School Principal Anabel Ibarra Describes the Impact of Alongside...

"As a school principal, Alongside is a game changer. It helps with our RTI process. It provides that Tier 1 support for students to talk to the llama so that they can express what situations they're going through, topics that they want to cover that typically would end up affecting their mental health...it's that first level of support. Obviously if there is any topic or situation that is greater than a Tier 1 support, then they would go see our counselors.  

For us it's been very helpful to have that first system of support. Think of it as a counselor in your pocket. Problems all range from, you know, somebody is bothering me to, I am having trouble at home, to I feel overwhelmed and they are procrastinating. And so as they talk to this counselor in their pocket, they are able to be guided to clinically proven strategies that are going to help them along the way.  

And so it's all about working smarter, not harder. And you give this access to every single student."