Butterflly App Available to CLC Clients at No Cost! 

The mental health and wellness app offers digital tools to manage stress, build resilience, and combat the unprecedented mental health crisis among children and youth in foster care. 

CLC is excited to announce a new and innovative pilot project with Butterflly, a mental health and wellness app that delivers culturally responsive, intersectional, and evidence-based care for teens and adults experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression. The Butterflly app provides one-on-one texting with a mental health coach, peer support groups, mood tracking and assessment, and referrals to mental health providers in the community. Clients can easily download the Butterflly app on their smartphone, computer, or tablet. 

This winter, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the mental health crisis among our nation’s youth – a problem exacerbated by the pandemic and creating significant challenges for children and youth in foster care – 80% of whom enter the foster system already struggling with a significant mental health need. 

“Mental health challenges in children and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness and depression,” said Dr. Kevin Jervik, Ph.D., Mental Health Consultant and leader of CLC’s Mental Health Advocacy team. “The pandemic further disrupted their experiences at home, school, and in the community. The effect on their mental health has been devastating.” 

“We’re proud to partner with Butterflly to increase accessibility to digital mental health tools and promote culturally competent wellness practices,” said CLC Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Phyllis Stricklan. “Together, we hope to support our young clients ease stress, and build resilience.” 

“Butterflly is passionate about serving the mental health needs of underserved and BIPOC communities,” said Rodney Bell, Founder, President & CEO of Butterflly. “Our all-in-one mobile health app focuses on individual and collective strength to help individuals reach their goals. We believe it is a great tool for CLC’s clients to build life-changing skills to reduce anxiety, be more resilient, and prioritize self-care.” 

This first-of-its-kind collaboration with Butterflly reflects CLC’s ongoing commitment to fostering mental health and wellness among our clients, families, and caregivers. CLC is honored to be Butterflly’s first community-based collaboration and is grateful that our clients will have innovative telehealth services and digital self-care tools at their fingertips. 

About Butterflly 

Based in Los Angeles, Butterflly is an inventive behavioral health app providing trauma-informed, strength-based care. The app utilizes peer groups (collective care), individualized one-on-one coaching, and a culturally centered empowerment kit focused on intersectionality, trauma-informed principles, and wellness to improve mental health outcomes for under-resourced and diverse populations. 

About Children’s Law Center of California 

Children’s Law Center of California (CLC) provides skilled legal representation for abused and neglected children and youth under the jurisdiction of the dependency court. CLC is the largest children’s legal services organization in the nation, advocating for over 33,000 children and youth in foster care in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Placer counties each year.