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Lacking counselors, US schools turn to booming business of online therapy

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Therapist Norma Kawatta, seen on screen, talks to Paris Carroll, VP of mental health clinical services for Hazel Health, as the pair demonstrate how the company's telehealth therapy service works for Miami-Dade County public school students, on Oct. 10, 2023. [AP Photo]

The trouble with playground bullies started for Maria Ishoo's daughter in elementary school. Girls ganged up, calling her "fat" and "ugly." Boys tripped and pushed her. The California mother watched her typically bubbly second-grader retreat into her bedroom and spend afternoons curled up in bed.

For Valerie Aguirre's daughter in Hawaii, a spate of middle school "friend drama" escalated into violence and online bullying that left the 12-year-old feeling disconnected and lonely.

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