School‑linked behavioral health model

Minnesota’s school-linked behavioral health model puts licensed therapists and other providers in schools, letting students get care where they already spend the day. (mn.gov) The Minnesota Department of Human Services says the program is designed for early identification and intervention for students with mental health or substance use needs, and to help schools support those students in class. State law lists clinics, community mental health centers, tribal providers, children’s therapeutic services providers, and some substance use providers among eligible grantees. (revisor.mn.gov) In practice, community mental health agencies place behavioral health professionals in schools for assessments, treatment, family services, teacher consultation, care coordination, and school-wide training. The department says grants can also pay for telehealth equipment and transportation for students when school is out of session. (mn.gov; revisor.mn.gov) The model is built around access problems that keep families out of care. Minnesota Human Services lists cost, lack of insurance, transportation, child care, parents missing work, stigma, long intake processes, and past negative experiences as barriers schools can help reduce. (mn.gov) NAMI Minnesota says state grants for school-linked mental health were initially funded through the 2007 mental health initiative, with providers also billing public and private insurance when available. The group says no child is turned away because of inability to pay, insurance status, or immigration status. (namimn.org) The student need is large. NAMI Minnesota says that in the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, more than 25% of eighth graders reported long-term mental health, behavioral, or emotional problems, more than 14% said they had thought about suicide in the past year, and 4% said they had attempted suicide. (namimn.org) The programs are also reaching students who had not gotten help before. NAMI Minnesota says more than half of children served through these grants had never previously received mental health services, and 45% of those first-time patients were identified as having a serious mental illness. (namimn.org) Minnesota is also widening the school mental health infrastructure around those services. The Department of Education says schools must provide secondary students access to space for telehealth mental health care during the school day when space is available, and beginning in the 2026-27 school year, districts and charter schools must provide mental health instruction in grades 4 through 12. (education.mn.gov) School-linked therapy is one piece of a broader school-based care system. The Minnesota Department of Health says school-based health centers in the state serve about 9,000 students a year, and nine sponsoring agencies operate 30 centers that provide medical, mental, and behavioral health services. (health.mn.gov) NAMI Minnesota’s recent push around the model lands on familiar ground in the state: bring care to school, lower the friction for families, and catch problems earlier. Minnesota agencies now describe that approach as part of routine student support, not a separate system families have to find on their own. (mn.gov; education.mn.gov)