Mental Health Resources

Help for Students in Crisis
Resources for addressing mental health and wellness during school closures.

Youth Suicide Prevention
A listing of resources to assist school districts with the concerns about youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

Senate Bill 224: Mental Health Instruction Expansion Plan (DOCX)
Senate Bill 224 passed in October 2021 and was codified as Education Code Section 51925. This law requires each school district, county office of education, state special school, and charter school, that offers one or more courses in health education to middle or high school students, to include in mental health instruction as part of the curriculum.

Adolescent Mental Health Research
Publications and projects addressing a range of health topics, such as unintentional injury, substance use, mental health, reproductive health, positive measures of well-being, and special populations of adolescents.

BrightLife Kids
An app that provides free behavioral health coaching, tools and resources for parents, caregivers, and children ages 0-12. Available in multiple languages.

CalHOPE Schools
Four multimedia resources focused on mental health for CA educators: (1) A Trusted Space: Redirecting Grief to Growth, (2) Angst: Building Resilience, (3) Stories of Hope, and (4) Animated Shorts.

CalHOPE Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
A Community of Practice helping California’s schools support proactive and early intervention when responding to the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students, families, and educators.

California Healthy Kids Resource Center
Maintains a comprehensive collection of reviewed health education materials for use by teachers, administrators, university faculty, local educational agency staff, and other professionals.

California School-Based Health Alliance
Health clinics located on school campuses, encompassing a variety of service delivery models and range of services, including mental health services.

Children and Violence
The National Institute for Mental Health has information to help parents, teachers, or mental health professionals assist children and adolescents who have been victims of or witnesses to violent and/or catastrophic events avoid or overcome emotional problems in the wake of violence or disaster.

Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)
A five-year initiative transforming how California supports the behavioral health needs of children, youth, and families in many settings, including schools, colleges, and online health care.

Health Education Content Standards
The California State Board of Education has approved Health Education Content Standards for California public schools. Mental, Emotional and Social Health (MESH) is one of the six health content areas included in these standards.

Mental Health Services Act Program - CalEdFacts
This content is part of California Department of Education's information and media guide about education in the State of California.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California
A grassroots organization that provides support, advocacy, and education and referral opportunities for people with mental illness. Among the services provided through local and regional affiliates are peer education and support groups.

Safe Spaces ACEs-Focused Training
A free, online training from the California Surgeon General that provides information and strategies for recognizing and responding to trauma and stress in young people. Three modules, two hours each, focused on ages 0-5, 5-11 and 12-18.

Soluna
An app that provides free confidential behavioral health support, multimedia resources, and peer communities for ages 13-25. Available in multiple languages.

Treatment and Services Adaptation Center
The Los Angeles Unified School District provides information on how trauma can affect learning. Also provides information about the curriculum Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Trauma in Schools (CBITS).

United Advocates for Children and Families
A non-profit advocacy organization that provides information, training and other resources for children and youth with emotional disturbances, and their families.

UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools
School Mental Health Project from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

University of Maryland Center for School Mental Health
Useful information and resources for school mental health.

Federal Government Resources

• National Institute for Mental Health
• MentalHealth.gov
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA)

New Guidance on Medicaid in School-Based Settings (PDF)
The Administration released new federal guidance to support student health and wellness in schools.  Congress approved the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which, among other provisions, required the Administration to support states that wish to remove barriers to school-based Medicaid services for eligible students.  Many states view Medicaid as an important vehicle to sustain student supports currently funded with COVID relief funds once those funds expire.  The Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) at HHS released new guidance, “Delivering Services in School-Based Settings: A Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming (PDF).”  It notes that State Medicaid/CHIP Agencies, State Educational Agencies, and schools must all work together to support school-based services for eligible students and declares that the guide “is designed to facilitate the development and enhancement of these partnerships.”