{"id":163972,"date":"2025-09-17T21:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/163972\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T21:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:06:10","slug":"how-mental-health-care-in-schools-became-the-norm-in-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/163972\/","title":{"rendered":"How mental health care in schools became the norm in Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This is the first of three stories on school-based mental health treatment in Minnesota.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA student fidgets with pull cords on blinds while meeting with a mental health specialist at Heritage STEM Academy on Sept. 15, 2025, in Minneapolis. Credit: Ellen Schmidt\/MinnPost\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/p>\n

This girl just can\u2019t seem to settle. Like a bird in search of a worm, she flits from spot to spot in Yolonda Rogers\u2019 office \u2014 a desk, a couple of chairs and a beanbag in the corner of a multipurpose room at Heritage STEM Academy<\/a>, a Minneapolis public high school. Rogers, a mental health specialist tasked with providing mental health care to students in six of the district\u2019s schools, is patient. She\u2019s seen this kind of behavior before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The girl keeps moving around the room, alighting briefly before taking out her cell phone and answering a call. When Rogers asks her a question, the girl\u2019s answers are short and clipped, and her face is turned away. She doesn\u2019t seem interested in talking, but it also seems like she doesn\u2019t want to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then the girl spies a large plastic bag stuffed with snack-sized chips that Rogers keeps on a shelf near her desk. She pulls out a pack, and starts to eat. Still pacing the room, she begins talking about issues with her mother. Rogers listens, nods, asks a few more questions, and the girl finally sits down. Still not making eye contact, she tells Rogers she\u2019s thinking about withdrawing from Heritage, how she\u2019s gone to schools all over the state, how she\u2019s been fighting with other students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The conversation slowly warms up. Despite the rocky beginning, the girl somehow seems comfortable with Rogers, and their conversation becomes easy, even relaxed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"YolondaYolonda Rogers, a mental health specialist, outside Heritage STEM Academy. A Minneapolis Public Schools alumni, Rogers said she is specially equipped to help students because she is part of their community.<\/p>\n

Later, Rogers explains that most of the students who come to her office have never seen a mental health therapist, and most of their parents are unlikely to have the time or financial resources to get them to a therapy appointment. Because Rogers, who holds a master\u2019s degree in clinical social work, is at Heritage one day a week and is a known presence in the school, students feel comfortable just stopping by her office, and teachers and administrators know they can refer struggling students for a visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps with their mental well-being to have me here,\u201d Rogers said of her students. \u201cI\u2019m part of the community, and many of them find it easy to talk to me about what\u2019s on their mind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Making mental health treatment as easy as going to the school nurse is a key component of Minnesota\u2019s decades-long goal of providing low- or no-cost mental health care to all public school students. In a state with a lamentable history of racial and economic inequality, this clear commitment to easy access to mental health care stands out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"YolondaYolonda Rogers works on a student\u2019s support plan for the school year at Heritage STEM Academy.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the global COVID pandemic, much attention has been paid to kids\u2019 mental health, but children in the United States have struggled for decades trying to access counseling and therapy. In the past, children in Minnesota\u2019s public schools largely got mental health care from school social workers or psychologists, but that approach had shortcomings, including staffing problems and budget limitations that meant kids who really needed to talk to someone about their mental health often had to wait for months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the early 2000s, in recognition of growing rates of mental illness among children, the state began expanding access to mental health care in public schools by contracting with outside agencies, bringing licensed mental health care providers into schools where they could become a regular part of the educational ecosystem. Supported by the state Legislature, the Minnesota Department of Education<\/a> (MDE) and Department of Human Services<\/a> (DHS) approved funding for these efforts, from $4.7 million in 2008 to over $20 million today, and slowly the number of mental health providers in the state\u2019s public schools began to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark Sander, director of School Mental Health for Hennepin County, at his office building in Richfield, Minn. Sander has worked for 20 years to increase the amount of mental health professionals in schools. <\/p>\n

Mark Sander, Hennepin County director of school mental health, has been involved in the effort since the beginning. \u201cIf we go back to 2005,\u201d he said, \u201cwe had therapists in five schools. Now, just in Hennepin County alone, we have 22 different agencies doing this work. There are over 230 therapists in over 220 schools just in Hennepin County serving about 7,000 students a year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This work hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed. Kris Lofgren, DHS school behavioral health program coordinator, said that during the pandemic, Minnesota\u2019s efforts to expand mental health care to public schools was highlighted in a U.S. Department of Education report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: Researchers measure fewer suicide attempts after school-based mental health implemented in Hennepin County<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt brought national attention to what\u2019s being done in the state,\u201d Lofgren said. \u201cPeople figured out that we have been doing a lot of important work around bringing mental health services to where kids are. It identified Minnesota as a leader.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sander has witnessed this expansion \u2014 and the impact it has had on kids \u2014\u00a0first hand. He said he\u2019s proud of Minnesota\u2019s support for children\u2019s mental health and grateful for the many advocates who\u2019ve made it possible. Easy access to free- and reduced-cost mental health care is not a given in public schools nationwide, but today it is available in 82% of Minnesota\u2019s public school districts and in 61% of the state\u2019s 2,661 public schools, a reality he does not take lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be honest,\u201d Sander said. \u201cMinnesota has crushed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the furniture<\/p>\n

To Sander\u2019s mind, the ideal school-based mental health provider wears a camouflage of sorts, blending into the background like part of the landscape of the regular school day. When kids have to leave school to see a therapist, he said, the experience can be much more intimidating, making mental health treatment feel onerous or even threatening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s been really beautiful is when you bring these mental health services into the schools it doesn\u2019t seem like a big deal,\u201d Sander said. When a therapist is based in school, kids and parents see them in the hallway or the lunchroom. They see kids interacting with their peers, observe behaviors and connect with teachers, he added. \u201cThe therapist can then talk to a teacher or another adult in the building and really help integrate their work, saying, \u2018Tommy is working on his anxiety and so if you see him starting to get a little bit anxious, just touch him on his shoulder. Nobody else needs to know, but it\u2019s your thing.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA preschool student holds onto a stuffed animal meant to represent sadness while he shares a sad feeling during a preschool class at the K-12 Cook County School.<\/p>\n

Take Rogers, for example. Students and staff flow in and out of her office, stopping to chat, grab a bag of chips, check in on their day, or to introduce a friend and refer them for services. When school-based therapists are easily accessible and available like this, Sander said, word starts to spread. \u201cYouth feel comfortable coming to a therapist or a social worker and saying, \u2018Hey: I\u2019ve got a concern,\u2019 or, \u2018I\u2019ve got a concern about my friend.\u2019 We as a team can help figure out what\u2019s the best place for them to start getting support.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While going to therapy can be commonplace for kids in higher-income groups, many children from immigrant and refugee communities often have little or no background seeking mental health support. This is the case with students in many of the state\u2019s public schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jill Johnson, executive director of Change, Inc.<\/a>, a nonprofit provider of school-based mental health care in Minnesota schools, said that when therapists are located in a school, kids are highly likely to get care. \u201cThere is a piece of research<\/a> that says for kids from low-income families, if they need mental health care, there is only a 13% chance they will access services, but when mental health care is available in schools it is something like a 96% chance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: Princeton schools to pilot Minnesota\u2019s first Teen Mental Health First Aid program<\/a><\/p>\n

Sander has seen that in action. \u201cHalf of the students that are supported by school-based mental health in Hennepin County have never had mental health services before,\u201d he said. \u201cOf those that are getting it for the first time, 40% have really significant mental health issues.\u201d This lack of access isn\u2019t due to parental neglect, Sander added. \u201cParents want to get their kids the stuff they need. It was just that they couldn\u2019t get them there or didn\u2019t know how to make it happen. Having it in the school allows them to get their kids that support.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are many reasons why getting a kid to therapy, even when parents are on board, can be difficult. Sander recalled a meeting he and parent had several years ago with then-U.S. Sen. Al Franken. \u201cThis parent said. \u2018I\u2019ve got a job and I was worried about losing my job because of having to take my young person to therapy,\u2019 The fact that they could get that support at school was a game-changer. For the parent, it really lessened their own anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Few and far between<\/p>\n

While Minnesota\u2019s commitment to providing mental health care to kids in public schools has received national praise, there are still some parts of Greater Minnesota where a scattered population and the limits of geography can make that access spotty at best.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson, whose nonprofit supplies mental health providers to schools across the metro area, said she\u2019s all-too familiar with the state\u2019s rural\/urban divide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool-based mental health services look very different in St. Paul and Minneapolis vs. in rural Minnesota,\u201d she said. \u201cI know some districts in rural Minnesota where the whole district might share only one or two clinicians. It is different in Minneapolis or St. Paul, where we have a clinician in almost every school.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LisaLisa Sater at her workplace in Grand Marais, Minn. A long-time foster parent, Sater has dedicated her life to helping children.<\/p>\n

In Grand Marais, two hours north of Duluth on Lake Superior\u2019s North Shore, Lisa Sater works as an early childhood therapist and clinical supervisor for the Cook County Public Schools<\/a>. The district, which covers some 3,340 square miles, has about 430 kids from pre-school to 12th grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, Sater, who has lived north of Brainerd since 1982, decided to fulfill her dream of living just about as far north as you can get when she and her husband decided to pull up stakes and move to Grand Marais. She\u2019d been working as a child therapist for decades, employed as a school therapist through Greater Minnesota Family Services<\/a>, a Willmar-based nonprofit providing in-home and school-based mental health services to children and families outside of the Twin Cities. Aware that her skills were in high demand, she reached out to Chris Lindholm, Cook County Public Schools superintendent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI emailed Chris and said, \u2018Could you use a mental health therapist in your school?\u2019\u201d Sater recalled. \u201cHe said, immediately, \u2018Yes. Yes. We really need someone to come,\u2019 My next email was to my boss. I said, \u2018Would you support me in moving my work to Grand Marais?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes. Of course.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sater understands it takes a certain type of person to want to live in Grand Marais. While the town \u2014\u00a0population 1,352 \u2014\u00a0is nestled into an undeniably beautiful harbor on a majestic lake, the isolation that makes it precious can also be a source of struggle when a kid is in need of mental health care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LisaLisa Sater, an early childhood therapist and clinical supervisor for Greater Minnesota Family Services, checks in with a preschool student while he plays alone Sept. 15, 2025, at the K-12 Cook County School in Grand Marais, Minn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very hard for parents to come in and to therapy with their kids,\u201d Sater said. \u201cAbout 30% of our student population are Native American. Some go to school on the reservation in Grand Portage. It is a good school, but some kids from there also come here.\u201d The trip from Grand Portage to Grand Marais is about 35 miles one way, and parents often have a hard time making it to school, let alone to town for a visit with a therapist.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people can\u2019t afford the gas,\u201d Sater said. \u201cThere is limited public transportation. That\u2019s one of the problems. Another one is a lot of people have to work more than one job. It is an expensive place to live.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When he moved to town in July 2021, Lindholm described what felt like a children\u2019s mental health desert. \u201cI saw a huge need here for children\u2019s mental health services. There were two providers in the whole county and not near enough horsepower. Basically, mental health services in all of Cook county in general were drastically lacking. The county itself called it out as a big problem.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"CookSuperintendent Chris Lindholm, pictured at the K-12 Cook County School, came to Cook County in 2021 but was surprised at the lack of mental health access for students. In 2023, he secured a full-time mental health professional and said he\u2019s seen a drastic improvement in the students\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Though they are far removed from the pressures of city living, Lindholm said that kids in his district struggle with many of the same issues as their urban counterparts. \u201cOver half of our kids are in poverty, there are lots of visible mental health struggles. Teachers tell me the mental health needs are incredible. In 2022, for instance, nearly half of our junior class was being treated for mental health of some kind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sater\u2019s email felt like an amazing boon, Lindholm said. The need for her services was clearly there, even in his \u201ctiny\u201d district. \u201cShe went to a full caseload in the county almost immediately.\u201d The district has enough funding to employ a second school-based therapist, and\u00a0 it\u00a0 has posted the position for two years with no takers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0What makes the region beautiful also makes it a hard sell. \u201cIt is two hours to everything. A trip to the eye doctor is a full-day trip.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LisaLisa Sater works with a preschool student at the playground outside of the K-12 Cook County School.<\/p>\n

At the state Capitol, there have been efforts to make providing mental health services to kids in Greater Minnesota more appealing, like providing loan forgiveness and tuition support to mental health providers who agree to practice in rural areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unless, like Sater, another provider drops from the sky, Lindholm fears that it will always be a struggle to fully attend to the mental\u00a0 health of all\u00a0 students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All day every day<\/p>\n

At Como Park Senior High School<\/a> in St. Paul, mental health care is integrated into nearly every aspect of the school. In June, members of Como\u2019s mental health team gathered for an end-of-year wrap-up meeting, led by Christy McCoy, one of five of the school\u2019s social workers. The group, made up of social workers, an intern, therapists and a psychologist, described the many ways they work to seamlessly wrap their services into the daily lives of students, teachers and administrators.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

McCoy talked about her work co-facilitating a group of male students who\u2019d been chronically absent from class, but actually spending time in the school building. \u201cI thought,\u201d she said, \u201c\u2018Let\u2019s build this community to not just focus on academics, but let\u2019s get to some of the root causes of why they\u2019re not coming to class.\u2019\u201d The group provides mental health support for the students\u00a0 in a way that feels comfortable to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about everything in there,\u201d McCoy said. \u201cWe talk about culture. We talk about our strengths, how to use those strengths to empower us and to channel those strengths to help us with things like advocacy, like how do we develop some of those social skills to be able to articulate what we need, what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n

That approach works with group members, McCoy said, who have jumped on board with a surprising enthusiasm. \u201cThey said they wanted to have a group next year,\u201d McCoy told her colleagues. \u201cThey want to do some community service. They want to give back. They want to be able to come into the classrooms and share about why it is important to take care of yourself. These are all ideas focused on mental health, and these are all ideas they generated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YolondaYolonda Rogers counsels a senior on her plan to seek support throughout the school year at Heritage STEM Academy.<\/p>\n

Back at Heritage STEM Academy, Rogers\u2019 approach to mental health treatment also feels student-led. She always tries to start her sessions on comfortable footing. \u201cI first start getting to know the student,\u201d she said. \u201cI explain my role and say, \u2018I\u2019m here to support you as a student. We can talk about mental health. We can talk about life. For many students it is helpful that I am African American. I also tell them I am a Minneapolis Public School alumni. It speaks to my cultural context, helps them open up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was published with support from the Solutions Journalism Network\u2019s HEAL Fellowship.<\/p>\n

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