“We need more people that have more experience with kids' mental health. Teenage mental health.” - KayKay, DC Youth

KayKay shared this with us when we spoke to her about her experiences with therapy and behavioral health supports. When she first entered foster care in elementary school, she connected with a great therapist who helped her through the challenging moments that came with being separated from her sisters and mom. But finding the right therapist as a teen was harder.

“I didn't really have a therapist in high school. I had case workers, and my case worker was most definitely focused on my grades and my attendance and things like that. It wasn't necessarily, ‘How am I doing? Where is my mental state? How am I at home?,’” she shared. “It would come up in conversation here and there, but it was never a main focus.”

Some of you met KayKay during Part 1 of our Helping Children Soar Benefit with actress and mental health advocate, Taraji P. Henson. KayKay is one of many who faced an even greater challenge finding a therapist during the pandemic:

DC’s behavioral health crisis deepened during the pandemic, making it even harder for KayKay and so many other kids to get the support they needed.

“I feel like every teenager should have a mental [therapist] or have that case worker coming to them, talking to them, trying to understand them and figure out what can they do to help them...even at home or in school.”

Thankfully, on Tuesday, the DC Council listened to children and youth like KayKay. They ensured that every public school in the District will now have a behavioral health clinician available to support students.

As co-leads of the Strengthening Families Through Behavioral Health Coalition, it’s one of our biggest advocacy priorities and a significant investment in the health of DC’s children. We’re hopeful this funding makes it all the way over the finish line during the final budget vote in August.

Interested in supporting our efforts? Share our posts on Twitter thanking all DC Councilmembers for making School-Based Mental Health a priority in this year’s budget or make a gift today.

With gratitude,

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