The University of Texas System

Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT)

What is TCHATT?

Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) provides telemedicine or telehealth programs to school districts to help identify and assess the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents and provide access to mental health services.

If you’re interested in joining TCHATT, please email us at tcmhcc@utsystem.edu to see if it is available in your region.

Who Can Access TCHATT

Any public school in Texas can have TCHATT at their campus once a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is in place with the school district they’re a part of. On the map above, you can see if your school or school district is enrolled or soon-to-be enrolled.

When to Use TCHATT

Call TCHATT any time behaviors are seen or reported that have you concerned for a student’s mental health.

How to use TCHATT?

  1. Share your concern with your school’s designated TCHATT liaison or refer the student to your school’s designated TCHATT liaison. (The school liaison is often the school counselor.)
  2. The school TCHATT liaison will ensure required consent forms have been
    signed by the appropriate party (i.e., student, parent, guardian). If the parent/ guardian agrees to TCHATT, the liaison will collect some basic information to share with TCHATT.
  3. The school TCHATT liaison then submits the referral via a TCHATT portal.

When the School TCHATT Liaison Calls TCHATT

  • For urgent issues, further screening via telemedicine will be scheduled with the most appropriate TCHATT mental health specialist.
  • For less urgent issues, we will schedule an assessment of the mental health needs.
  • After a TCHATT Encounter, TCHATT staff may refer the student to a local pediatric psychiatrist or other mental health professional; a local pediatrician with support from pediatric psychiatry faculty; or the local mental health community center.