This publication is from Logan Thompson, who just completed a summer internship at the D.C. Policy Center through Mikva Challenge supported by the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program.
Mental health is an important part of a student’s overall health and well-being. Recent Youth Risk Behavior survey data highlight disparities in student mental health support across D.C.’s high schools. In 2023, 23 percent of D.C.’s public high school students reported they most of the time or always get the kind of help they need, among students who reported feeling sad, empty, hopeless, angry, or anxious. This is a 5 percentage point decrease from 2017.1 Across racial groups, 44 percent of white students reported that most of the time or always, they receive the kind of help they need; whereas, 21 percent of Black and Latino students reported this.2
Across the District, mental health professionals are working to support students in response to evolving academic and social-emotional needs. In school year 2018-19, the Department of Behavioral Health Program (DBH) began partnerships with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to implement the District’s phased expansion of multi-tiered school based behavioral health services in the District’s public and public charter schools.3 Additionally, Community-based organizations like Mary’s Center deliver on-site clinical care in 25 DCPS and public charter schools improving student access to services during the school day.4 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) also work diligently to provide mental health services. For example, DCPS school mental health teams provide students with a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), which requires schools to intervene early and support students as soon as there’s evidence they need it.5 Rocketship Public Charter School (PCS) has administered student wellness surveys three times a year to understand student feelings, connectedness, and more to create action plans that improve target areas.6 Each Rocketship school has a dedicated mental health counselor who works with regional and national mental health teams to screen every student and provide them the mental health supports they need. E.L. Haynes PCS offers wrap-around services to support students in the following areas: social skills, stress management, mood management, personal safety, and more.7
We asked stakeholders about the strengths and challenges mental health professionals face with the demands of student mental health support and academic planning.
Jasmin Goodwin, D.C. High School Alumna
Prioritizing student mental health and ensuring access to meaningful support is critical to helping students manage the pressures of school and prepare for life beyond graduation.
One student described building strong connections with the school’s mental health professionals – both as a student seeking support and as a student leader. As president of a student-led club focused on destigmatizing mental health, facilitating peer conversations, promoting awareness, and connecting classmates to resources was at the core of the work. Even with trusted relationships in place, recurring challenges exist. School psychologists heard concerns from students, but didn’t always have the time, space, or formal platforms to elevate those issues to school leadership in ways that led to tangible responses. Meetings dedicated to mental health staff were rare, making it difficult for those working most closely with students to communicate patterns or propose solutions. While students trusted staff with their concerns, there was often no clear path for those concerns to translate into schoolwide changes.
Daily stress was a near constant for students, and activities designed to promote mental wellness weren’t always effective. Many students at times viewed them as extensions of their regular schoolwork rather than meaningful opportunities to pause and decompress. Other challenges stemmed from the size of the student body, making it difficult for mental health professionals to connect with every student, in a meaningful and culturally responsive way at times.
Despite these challenges, students recognized the care and dedication of the professionals who worked to support them. Even within limited systems, staff members served as advocates and trusted adults. Continued investment in school-based mental health staffing, built-in time for collaboration, and stronger systems for acting on student feedback remain essential to better meet the growing mental and academic needs of high school students in D.C.
Marisa Parrella, D.C. Social Worker and Executive Director, Momentum Residency
Building sustainable systems of mental health support requires more than funding—it requires people who are trained, trusted, and fully integrated into school communities. As a longtime social worker in D.C. and the current executive director of a school-based mental health residency program, I have spent years working to strengthen school-based mental health services from the inside out.
Recruiting and supporting new clinicians is the core of this work. Helping those unfamiliar with school settings and navigating the unique demands is important to increasing the number of qualified individuals in this field.Through a structured two-year residency program, the Momentum Residency offers supervision, training, and mentorship grounded in trauma-informed care and public health equity.
Still, systemic challenges remain. Many school leaders value mental health, but lack the tools to fully embed it into their buildings. At times, a single social worker is expected to carry the weight of schoolwide needs without adequate support, training, or collaboration. Mental health staff are frequently isolated, with no clear infrastructure guiding their development or integration.
Students consistently express strong ideas for how mental health access could be improved, those insights are too often overlooked. Simple solutions, like offering online appointment systems or more informal check-ins, are rarely implemented. Even as funding increases, the lack of shared accountability between education, health, and behavioral health agencies limits the impact of these investments.
Despite these challenges, progress is possible. Creating safe, predictable school environments where students feel cared for and heard is not only realistic—it’s necessary. Ongoing investment in people, systems, and student-informed practices will be key to meeting the growing social-emotional needs of D.C. students.
Katie Graves, Director of Secondary School Mental Health, KIPP DC Public Charter Schools
Expanding school-based mental health services requires coordination, consistency, and capacity – particularly at the secondary level, where academic pressures and emotional needs often converge. At KIPP DC, mental health teams include licensed professional counselors, social workers, clinical psychologists, and behavior analysts.
A key strength of the city’s mental health infrastructure is the opportunity for collaboration. D.C.’s size enables school-based teams to maintain close relationships with local mental health providers and city agencies, improving the likelihood of coordination when needs arise. However, persistent gaps in access remain. In some communities, students and families face challenges securing consistent, high-quality care outside of school. Waitlists are common, and frequent staff turnover at external agencies can disrupt consistency of care.
Students experiencing acute mental health crises also face limited options. When inpatient care is unavailable, students are often referred back to school and community supports that may not be fully equipped to manage complex clinical needs. These structural limitations place additional strain on student mental health outcomes.
Community violence, transportation barriers, and economic strain further exacerbate student stress. In many cases, these experiences are frequent–-making it harder for students to recognize or articulate how they are being affected. As a result, school-based clinicians have to be aware of overt signs of distress along with underlying trauma that may shape student behavior and engagement.
The academic implications of these challenges are also significant. Mental health concerns can interfere with focus, motivation, and college planning. As secondary students face renewed pressure around standardized testing and competitive admissions, the need for integrated mental health and academic planning becomes increasingly urgent. Continued investment in school-based mental health teams–alongside broader policy changes related to funding, attendance, and interagency collaboration–will be critical to meeting the evolving needs of D.C. students and families.
Endnotes
- Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). 2024. Youth Behavior Risk Survey. OSSE. Retrieved from https://osse.dc.gov/service/dc-youth-risk-behavior-survey-yrbs
- Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). 2024. Youth Behavior Risk Survey. OSSE. Retrieved from https://osse.dc.gov/service/dc-youth-risk-behavior-survey-yrbs
- Department of Behavioral Health (DBH). “School Behavioral Health Program.” DBH. Retrieved from https://dbh.dc.gov/service/school-behavioral-health-program
- Mary’s Center. “School-Based Mental Health Program.” Mary’s Center. Retrieved from https://www.maryscenter.org/behavioral-health/children-and-teens/school-based-mental-health-program/
- District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). 2020. Here for You: Accessing Mental Health Supports in Schools. DCPS. Retrieved from https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/service_content/attachments/DCPS-HERE-FOR-YOU-Mental-Health-Document-FINAL.pdf
- District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (PCSB). 2022. “Highlighting #REDIforWellness Efforts at DC Public Charter Schools.” PCSB. Retrieved from https://dcpcsb.org/highlighting-rediforwellness-efforts-dc-public-charter-schools
- E.L. Haynes Public Charter Schools (PCS). “Getting Support @ E.L. Haynes.” Retrieved from https://www.elhaynes.org/resources/getting-support/