This fall, Michigan will see an influx of mental health resources for its youth through the launch of a new Youth Mental Health Corps, part of a national initiative aimed at providing middle and high school students with better access to mental health support. This program, set to debut in Michigan and three other states in September, will eventually expand to seven additional states next year.
The Youth Mental Health Corps is designed to address both the immediate needs of students and the broader issue of the national shortage of mental health professionals. By offering hands-on experience, stipends, scholarships, and potential student loan forgiveness, the program aims to create pathways for young adults to enter careers in behavioral health.
Corps members will receive training to help teenagers navigate available resources in schools and community organizations. They will also provide digital and media literacy education to help students handle online harassment, bullying, and bias.
This initiative, part of the federal AmeriCorps program, comes at a crucial time for Michigan. According to Ginna Holmes, executive director of the Michigan Community Service Commission, schools in the state are currently too understaffed to meet the growing mental health needs of students.
“AmeriCorps members are a tremendous resource for Michigan in helping solve the state’s pressing issues, and youth mental health is one of those critical needs,” Holmes said in a statement.
Despite Michigan school districts adding over 1,300 mental health staff members since 2018, the state still faces significant shortages. In the 2021-22 school year, Michigan had one counselor for every 615 students, far exceeding the American School Counselor Association’s recommended ratio of one counselor for every 250 students. The ratios for school psychologists and social workers were even higher, with one psychologist for every 1,445 students and one social worker for every 1,051 students, against recommended ratios of one psychologist for every 500 students and one social worker for every 250 students.
These statistics highlight a broader national issue. School mental health professional organizations estimate that over 100,000 additional staff members would be needed to meet recommended ratios across all U.S. public schools.
“We are at a critical moment where we must act with urgency to address the mental health crisis that is impacting millions of our children,” said Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, in a statement.
The Youth Mental Health Corps is a private-public partnership funded by AmeriCorps, the Schultz Family Foundation, and Pinterest. It will initially deploy hundreds of corps members in Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas this fall, with plans to expand to California, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Utah by the fall of 2025.
Eligible candidates for the corps are young adults aged 18 to 24 with a high school diploma. This program not only aims to provide immediate support to students but also seeks to build a future workforce capable of sustaining mental health services in schools nationwide.
