Multi-level approach to youth mental health: families, schools, and government

Oct 31

Zimeng Wang

Today, youth mental health is no longer a conversation that can be avoided. From rising academic pressures to navigating social media influences, managing multiple extracurriculars, and dealing with family struggles, young people are facing more challenges than ever before. According to Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, “over 284,000 youth cope with major depression” in California, only one of the many mental health conditions, which include anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, and substance use disorder.

With the rise in mental health issues in youth, there has been a corresponding rise in prevention and alleviation of such issues. How does the society we grow up in directly affect our mental health? How are we able to directly make an impact on navigating through such challenges?

Families

Family members and trusted adult guardians are those who spend the most time and interact the most with a child and are therefore able to provide the most direct support.

Family members are often the first to notice warning signs of mental health struggles in a child and are therefore able to provide the most immediate intervention methods and seek professional help.
Families are often able to prevent mental health problems in youth by establishing a safe, supportive, and positive home environment. They can encourage communication about struggles and emotions, build strong relationships that provide a safety net, and maintain an uplifting parenting style.
Children learn most directly from their families, so family members are able to model healthy behaviors that support mental well-being, such as establishing consistent routines, prioritizing healthy habits like exercising, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep, as well as taking care of their own mental health through proper coping strategies.

Schools

For many youths, school is a direct cause of their stress and mental health issues. But as students spend such a large part of their day at school, how can the school system be a supportive tool to help students with their mental health problems?

In the education aspect, schools throughout California offer mental health instruction as a part of the curriculum to raise awareness and also encourage students to seek help when needed.

Schools offer in-depth mental health services, with most schools equipped with numerous counselors and psychologists who are able to provide more professional help. School staff are also able to refer students to external mental health professionals when necessary.

Many resources and programs are available at school, including those such as the California free lunch program, peer support clubs that provide tutoring, and wellness centers that provide relaxation options. All of these establishments ease many of the stressors for students that may, in turn, ease the progression of mental health issues.

Overall, schools provide the opportunity for students to seek help for themselves and oftentimes be able to discover their own coping mechanisms.

Government

The California government also seeks solutions to alleviating the youth mental health crisis through targeting larger focus areas and aiding lower-level support systems.

California has established direct plans to target youth mental health, including The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), a $4.7 billion investment to support behavioral health and wellness for California’s children. It helps ensure that youth and families are able to find the support for their needs most efficiently.

The California Mental Health Bond is a part of the Proposition 1 initiative, which provides a $6.4 billion mental health bond for treatment facilities and support for mental health and substance use. $3.3 billion of the bond is used to fund over 5,000 treatment beds and 21,800 outpatient treatment slots for those who are struggling with mental health or addiction. This is only one of many funding efforts provided directly toward organizations working on mental health support within facilities, schools, and communities.
As a part of the CYBHI, California has promoted BrightLife Kids and Soluna, free statewide behavioral health platforms that allow youth and families to access responsive and confidential mental health support. In the nearly 2 years since their launch in January 2024, more than 319,000 youth and families have used the apps, with more than 62,000 coaching sessions completed.

There have continuously been laws and frameworks signed and introduced in California that focus on youth mental health. For example, Assembly Bill 665 allows youth over the age of 12 to consent to outpatient mental health services without parental approval. Senate Bill 531, introduced in February 2025, mandates that all California students in grades 1-12 receive appropriate mental health education.

Further connections

As families, schools, and the government each play their own role in aiding youth mental health, they are also constantly assisting one another in this process. For example, schools frequently communicate with families over concerns about a child, and families also look to the school for further aid. As the government is unable to directly reach families, schools often act as a tool for the government to provide resources to students through better tools and education.

Even with the well-developed systems, youth mental health is still a work in progress. Many schools are still short on counselors and psychologists, especially in more rural areas. Underrepresented groups also tend to face much greater difficulty in receiving resources for help. There has been a much greater focus on the treatment of such issues, with much less effort put into the prevention of mental health problems. Education is also still lacking, as mental health is still a highly stigmatized topic.

As a youth, you are also able to play a role in helping the cause of mental health and discover a community through advocacy.