When students have the resources they need, they are better equipped to stay engaged in school, concentrate on their studies, and achieve lasting academic success. Students who have support and guidance through programs and resources are better equipped to navigate the stress, anxiety, and social pressures so many face today. One of the most critical benefits of mental health services in schools is the part they play in destigmatizing the issue.
Planning peer support
Developing and implementing a peer support programme can be an effective way to support young people with mild mental health concerns. School clinics could work with health care providers to bill services to insurance coverage, some experts said, even though that approach would not cover all of the resources funded by the grants, such as social workers and bilingual specialists. At Somerville High School, health care provider Cambridge Health Alliance was already running a clinic in the school when the grant program paid for an extra clinician, a social worker, and a bilingual specialist to speak with parents. These partnerships strengthen continuity of care and ensure students with complex needs receive appropriate, evidence-based treatment.
Information by role
Would you like to become a supporter for Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week? Help us make a difference in 2026 and explore our activities and fundraising resources! Read about taking part in the week if you’re taking part at home or in your local community group. Learn how your primary or secondary school can embrace our theme ‘This is My Place’ for Children’s Mental Health Week.
– Train Teachers and Staff in Mental Health First Aid
- Following the assessment of students’ needs, the coordination with mental health professionals becomes crucial to devising tailored support plans.
- At Lightfully Teen, we help our clients build resilience through supportive, adolescent-centered care.
- We know that young people from marginalised communities are often left out of the mental health conversation.
At Lightfully, we offer evidence-based treatments across California to improve our clients’ well-being. The goal is to empower teens and families with skills, confidence, and support that foster long-term mental wellness. Personalized treatment plans are designed to support each teen as an individual, not a diagnosis. At Lightfully, care is built around understanding the unique challenges teens face today. This flexibility allows teens to receive the level of care that best matches their needs. This sense of community can reduce stigma and isolation.
Evidence-based strategies teach teachers how to recognize signs of distress and connect students with proper care for children and adolescents ages 5–18. These partnerships connect students with community partners, school social workers, and behavioral health specialists. This includes ensuring all staff members have access to mental health services, particularly if they are having trouble coping or have underlying or previously unknown mental health needs.
While many studies have demonstrated both the feasibility and effectiveness of school mental health interventions for improving or preventing youth mental health symptoms and enhancing academic outcomes (Evans et al., 2023; Hoover & Bostic, 2021; Lai et al., 2016; Richter et al., 2022; Ross et al., 2020; Sanchez et al., 2018), findings have not been universally positive. With an estimated 49 million youth attending a public primary or secondary school in the US (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024), there is great potential within school systems for identifying youth in need of mental health support and connecting them with appropriate interventions. Aligned with Objectives 3.2 and 3.3 and 4.1 and 4.3 of the NIMH Strategic Plan for Research (US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 2023b), this NOSI encourages studies that address questions related to the effectiveness, implementation, and scaling of evidence-based practices and services in school and afterschool program settings. Taken together, these federal investments demonstrate a clear interest in leveraging schools to mitigate the youth mental health crisis. As a result, https://www.cascadepbs.org/opinion/2021/01/how-wa-schools-can-support-students-struggling-mental-health/ only a fraction of affected youth receives mental health services (Ghandour et al., 2019; Whitney & Peterson, 2019).