Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey held an outdoor press conference at the Wellesley High School rear courtyard on Tuesday to talk up $13 million in state funding recently allocated to address the ongoing mental health crisis many students are experiencing, especially since the pandemic. The money will go to support the creation of Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT) programs at more than 30 high-need schools across Massachusetts.
BRYT is an in-school program to support students who have fallen behind in their academics due to mental health challenges. Established at Brookline in 2004, BRYT has been adopted by over 150 public high schools across the state.
In addition to The Swellesley Report and press from all the Boston news stations, over 100 people attended the event. As students poured out of the cafeteria to see what was up, Gov. Healey asked them, “Are you supposed to be in lunch or in class?”
“No comment,” was the reply.
“Well, we’ll get you a pass,” Healey bantered back, before turning to the reason for her visit.
“We know what statewide and national data is telling us,” Healey said after having met privately with WHS Bridge students, parents and staff. “The mental health crisis is affecting young peoples’ well-being today, and impacting them into adulthood…so the bottom line is we recognize this as an issue. We want to bring to bear all the resources to help.”
Wellesley students and families in need are fortunate they haven’t had to wait until now for support. Since 2006, school social worker Lindsey Yamaguchi and academic coordinator Adam Diliberto have shepherded hundreds of students through The Bridge Program, which is based on BRYT. Addressing the crowd, Yamaguchi recalled the days when students would come back to school after an extended absence only to find themselves overwhelmed by a whole day of classes, or just the prospect of eating lunch in a crowded cafeteria with their peers. Dismayed by outcomes that all too often included high absenteeism or even re-hospitalization, she and Diliberto knew there had to be another way.
They were impressed by the results of Brookline’s BRYT program. With a grant from the Metrowest Health Foundation; support from Human Relations Service, a non-profit mental health agency that serves families and children in Wellesley, Weston, and Wayland; and support from Wellesley Public Schools, they launched Bridge to coordinate student care with families, teachers, and community mental health resources.
“For over two decades we have helped hundreds of students and families. Now when a young person returns to school after a crisis, they are no longer alone,” Yamaguchi said. “They have hope and can see a path to success.”
Kate Walsh, a former Wellesley resident who serves as the Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, in a broad way encapsulated the difficulties kids face after a period of disruption.
“I hear from a lot of kids from around the state that they are case managing their own care. They’re managing their parents. They’re managing their coaches. They’re managing their teachers. They’re managing their friends. They’re managing their own health issues. The Bridge program takes that responsibility so that they can get better, focus on themselves, and stay well.”
WHS Class of 2014 graduate Annie McCauley concurs. Thanks to the Bridge program, McCauley had people to help her carry that kind of weight. She said Bridge staff “…held so many of my worries, which helped me to be able to tackle school one step at a time. They assured me and my family countless times that there was a path to graduation. Even on my hardest days I knew I would find comfort in the Bridge room.”
To huge applause, McCauley shared an update about her life. After graduating on time from WHS, she matriculated at Smith College, where she graduated with honors. She has served as a teaching fellow with the U.S. Fulbright program, and has just completed her master’s degree in education.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but $13 million dollars in state funding makes it likely that the spotlight will shine on mental health initiatives year-round. As Wellesley resident and State Rep. Alice Peisch said, “This is just one aspect of the work that we all need to do to make sure every student in the Commonwealth has all the support that they need to have a successful academic career and go on to have a successful life.”