Across Michigan, students struggle with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and trauma, leaving schools as the first line of defense in addressing their mental health needs. In some districts, school counselors are overwhelmed, with one counselor serving more than 400 students — far beyond the recommended ratio.

This gap underscores the critical role of community mental health (CMH) agencies, which provide counseling, crisis intervention, and case management to students who might otherwise slip through the cracks.

Despite increased funding and growing awareness, barriers remain. Schools and CMHs are competing for the same limited pool of mental health professionals, rural areas struggle with lack of transportation and community resources, and rigid funding rules often limit how CMHs can collaborate with schools. As Michigan seeks to expand school-based mental health programs, the question remains: how can the state ensure every student has access to the care they need, when they need it?
 

MDE's Scott Hutchins says the state has been working to expand mental health care in schools since 2018.

The growing need for school-based mental health services

The demand for mental health care in schools has grown significantly in Michigan. According to Scott Hutchins, school behavioral health unit supervisor at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), the state has been working to expand access to school-based mental health care since 2018.

“Prior to 2018, students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) could receive social work services if written into their plan, but general education students often lacked access to school-based mental health services,” Hutchins says. “That changed when we secured funding in the state school aid act, which allowed all students — not just those with IEPs — to receive mental health support in schools.”

Michigan’s investment in school-based mental health has grown dramatically. 

“The funding started at around $30 million and has now increased to over $100 million,” Hutchins says. 

This funding enables schools to procure licensed mental health professionals, either by hiring directly or contracting with organizations like CMHs.

Sanilac County CMH supports student mental health with case consultations, educational programs, and other collaborations with schools.

Delivering mental health care to rural schools

Sanilac County Community Mental Health (CMH) has taken a unique approach to supporting student mental health, focusing on case consultations, educational programs, and collaboration with schools rather than directly providing in-school mental health staff.

“Our main role right now is to be a support and educational piece for schools, as they receive state funding to provide their own mental health services,” says Nicole Beagle, CEO, Sanilac County CMH. “We provide case consults to schools, offer education for teachers and students, and co-locate staff in certain situations to help students receiving CMH services succeed in the school environment.”

While some CMHs place direct mental health providers in schools, a different model has emerged in Sanilac County’s rural setting. Instead of running formal school-based programs, CMH staff work closely with educators to support students through informal interventions.

“Because we’re a rural community, we don’t have a lot of resources, and transportation is a huge barrier," Beagle says. "We try to support schools by coming up with creative solutions like after-school programs or respite services for students who qualify.”

St. Clair County Community Mental Health (CMH) has developed a comprehensive network of mental health services for students, spanning crisis intervention, school-based psychiatric services, and intensive wraparound programs for youth with complex needs.

Deb Johnson“We work with schools and students in a lot of different ways through our outpatient programs, home-based services, and wraparound programs,” says Debra Johnson, CEO, St. Clair County CMH. “When a student is facing challenges in multiple areas, whether it’s mental health, substance use, housing insecurity, or legal issues, we bring together a multidisciplinary team to develop a coordinated plan of care.”

A key initiative in St. Clair County is the Creekside Learning Center, a specialized school for students with significant emotional and behavioral challenges.

“These are kids who were previously missing school regularly because of behavioral challenges,” Johnson says. “Since starting at Creekside, they’ve been attending every single day. That’s the kind of impact we want to see.”

CMH also provides crisis intervention for schools following tragic events, such as student suicides or fatal accidents.

“When there’s a crisis, schools call us, and we deploy our team immediately,” Johnson says. “We’ve had schools tell us how grateful they were for our staff helping students and teachers process their grief.”

Challenges and opportunities in expanding mental health care in schools

Despite these initiatives, barriers to fully integrating mental health services in Michigan’s schools remain.

“One of the biggest hurdles is ensuring consistent funding for school-based mental health programs,” says Johnson. “We’ve seen great success, but we need sustainable resources to keep these programs going.”

For St. Clair County, one challenge has been losing staff to school districts that have received funding to hire their own mental health personnel.

“The federal and state governments have been pouring money into schools for behavioral health services, and they often end up hiring our staff,” Johnson says. “The problem is that while they can provide clinical support, they don’t have the same level of behavioral health expertise that our CMH professionals do.”

CMH leaders emphasize that a more collaborative model between schools and mental health providers is needed.

“In a perfect world, we’d have our staff housed in every school, available to students at any time,” Johnson says. “But due to funding limitations, we have to go through intake and insurance processes, which slows things down. When we had federal grant funding, we could offer immediate support, no questions asked. We need that kind of flexibility again.”

Looking ahead: the future of mental health in Michigan’s schools

While Michigan has made significant progress in expanding school-based mental health services, funding, staffing shortages, and policy barriers continue to hinder access — especially in rural and high-need communities. Without a clear strategy to retain mental health professionals, streamline collaboration between CMHs and schools, and sustain long-term funding, students will continue to face barriers to care.
 
Experts agree that several key actions are needed to strengthen mental health support in Michigan’s schools. As Johnson mentioned, expanded funding for integrated CMH-school partnerships and policies that allow CMHs to provide school-based services without unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions would make it easier to coordinate care.

More workforce development programs to address the mental health provider shortage, such as tuition assistance and loan forgiveness, could bring more social workers, psychologists, and counselors to school-based settings. A statewide data tracking system to measure the long-term impact of mental health programs on students’ academic performance, attendance, and emotional well-being would justify more investment in school-based mental health services.

“Mental health is just as important as academic success, yet we still don’t treat it that way in our education system,” Beagle says. “A lot of times, kids are struggling academically because of the mental health aspect. If we had a system where mental health was fully integrated into schools, rather than being treated as something separate, students would be more successful. Teachers aren’t trained to be social workers, just as I’m not trained to be a teacher. If we allowed each professional to focus on what they do best while still collaborating effectively, we could better support students in every way.”

Brianna Nargiso, a graduate of Howard University and Mercer University, specializes in media, journalism, and public health. Her work has appeared in The Root, 101 Magazine, and Howard University News Service, covering profiles, politics, and breaking news. A Hearst journalism award nominee and active member of the National Association for Black Journalists, she has also worked with Teach for America and the Peace Corps. Now a doctoral candidate at American University, Brianna is dedicated to advancing social justice, public health and education on a global scale.

LifeWays photos by Victoria Reackoff.
Scott Hutchins photo by Doug Coombe.
Deb Johnson, Sanilac County CMH, and David Lowe photos courtesy subjects.
Other photos by Artsteland RDNE via Pexels.com

The MI Mental Health series highlights the opportunities that Michigan's children, teens, and adults of all ages have to find the mental health help they need, when and where they need it. It is made possible with funding from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, Center for Health and Research Transformation, LifeWays, Michigan Health and Hospital Association, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority, OnPoint, Sanilac County Community Mental Health, Summit Pointe, and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage.