The Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Provides grants to support the establishment and improved integration of partnerships between local (county or city) mental health agencies and local education agencies (e.g. school districts) to deliver school-based mental health services and supports to students and their families.
There continues to be growing concern and attention to the mental health and wellbeing of students. The mental health crisis impacting students and families has been increasing in severity for several years, and three-years of pandemic disruption has only exacerbated this and left educational institutions grappling with how to best support students and families through not only academic success but also mental wellbeing.
MHSSA partnership programs should include work to address the following goals:
- Preventing mental health challenges from becoming severe and disabling
- Improving timely access to services for underserved populations
- Providing outreach to families, employers, primary health care providers, and others to promote the early signs of potentially severe and disabling mental health challenges.
- Reducing stigma associated with the diagnosis of a mental disorder or seeking mental health services.
- Reducing discrimination against people with unmet mental health needs
- Preventing negative outcomes in targeted populations, including, but not limited to:
- Suicide and attempted suicide
- Incarceration
- School failure or dropout
- Prolonged suffering
- Homelessness
- Involuntary health detention
Berkeley Unified School District program plan
The Berkeley Unified School District’s MHSSA plan proposes a mix of mental health services and supports to students, parents and caregivers, and BUSD staff that are designed to build upon existing mental health services and supports as well as provide new services where gaps have been identified.
Year 1, Sept-Dec 2022: Implementation Preparation & Planning
- Hire Mental Health Coordinator
- Increasing Services for MS through support for graduate intern stipends: beginning in Fall 2023
- Peer Education: Planning
- Wellness Rooms: planning in year 1
- Hire Care Navigator
- Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Training: Planning
- Screening: Planning & Implementing
- Needs Assessment & Strategic Planning: Initiating & Implementing
Year 1, Jan-June 2023: Early Implementation
- MH Coordinator: Coordination & Planning
- Increasing Services for ES through CBOs: Planning
- Increasing Services through Graduate Interns: Recruitment
- Peer Education: Planning & Development
- Wellness Rooms: Planning
- Care Navigator / Case Manager: Service Delivery
- YMHFA Training: Implementation
- Screening: Implementation & Refinement
- Needs Assessment & Strategic Planning: Conducting & Finalizing
Year 2: Implementation
- MH Coordinator: Continued Implementation
- Increasing Services for ES through CBOs: Implementation & Service Delivery
- Increasing Services for MS through Graduate Intern stipends: Implementation
- Peer Education: Implementation
- Wellness Rooms: Pilot
- Care Navigator / Case Manager: Continued Service Delivery
- YMHFA Training: Continued Implementation
- Screening: Continued Implementation & Planning
Year 3: Implementation
- MH Coordinator: Continued Implementation & Initiate Sustainability Planning
- Increasing Services for ES through CBOs: Continued Implementation
- Increasing Services for MS through Graduate Interns: Continued
- Implementation & Recruitment for Year 4
- Peer Education: Continued Implementation
- Wellness Rooms: Secure Seed Funding for Expansion or Modification
- Care Navigator / Case Manager: Continued Implementation
- YMHFA Training: Continued Implementation
- Screening: Implement Broader/Universal Screening
Year 4: Implementation
- MH Coordinator: Sustainability & Transition Planning
- Increasing Services for ES through CBOs: Continued Implementation
- Increasing Services for MS through Graduate Interns: Continued
- Implementation
- Wellness Rooms: Refinement, Continued Implementation, or Expansion
- Peer Education: Continued Implementation
- Care Navigator / Case Manager: Continued Implementation
- YMHFA Training: Continued Implementation
- Screening: Continued Implementation
MHSSA funded staff
Rosina Keren, LCSW PPSC. Coordinator of Mental Health Services BUSD
Carol Perez, MPA, Family Engagement and Equity Specialist -, Mental Health Care Navigator
Resources and Community Links
- Mental Health Association of Alameda County
- BUSD Mental Health Needs Assessment
- BHS Wellness and Mental Health Resources
- Family and Youth Services, City of Berkeley
- Community Resources
- Office of Family Engagement & Equity (OFEE)
- Students Experiencing Housing Insecurity
- Student Health and Wellness
- Resources for Immigrant Families
- BUSD Student Services
- September 14 Mental Health & Wellness Assessment Update Recording
- MHSOAC
BUSD SECONDARY SCHOOL SITES MENTAL HEALTH POSTERS
Berkeley Technology Academy
Longfellow Middle School


Martin Luther King Jr. Middle
Willard Middle School

