I think it’s an excellent idea to meet with a counselor before school begins. Add this to the list of criteria.
@bookworn Swarthmore
Distance and ease of travel are important. If she has a crisis, how easily/quickly could you get there or get her home? Being far away is less of an issue if it is an easy flight between home and school, but last minute tickets are still very expensive.
Wherever she goes, make sure she is registered with the disability office. That way, if she needs to take a medical leave of absence, it should be possible to hold on to any scholarships.
How good is she at self care? Will she take her medicine without a parent there to remind her on a daily basis? This should be a factor in the decision making process.
Look into tuition insurance, but read the plans carefully. Many will not cover mental health conditions unless the student is hospitalized, so they aren’t any good if your child determines that they need to withdraw in order to avoid a full blown crisis.
My child had some very serious mental health issues, and wound up ignoring all the advice I just gave you. (A full tuition scholarship heavily influenced decision making, and without it she would have stayed much closer to home.) Fortunately, things have worked out very well for my kid, but it was a big gamble that could have very easily ended badly.