Our Commitment to Advocacy.

At NYSMHA, we believe advocacy is both a responsibility and a shared act of care. We champion policies, practices, and systems that elevate the voices and expertise of the entire Collective Care Team, including school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and school nurses.

These professionals anchor student well-being in every school community. Their insights guide responsive decision-making, trauma-informed practices, and equitable access to mental health supports. NYSMHA is committed to amplifying their needs, strengthening their pathways, and ensuring that state and local policies reflect the realities of their work.

Advocacy is how we honor the essential role of the Collective Care Team and how we help build schools where every student is supported, every professional is valued, and wellness is woven into the fabric of education.

Make It
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In the News…

  • https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2025/lustica_betts_kuhn

    Caring for Our Students’ Mental Health

  • A woman with long blonde hair sitting alone at a table in a room with blue and yellow walls, large window with natural light, American flag in the background.

    Rural schools feel the pinch from Trump administration’s cuts to mental health grants

Danylak, 2025

Transforming what’s possible for rural schools

“WWC addresses the challenges of rural schools, where provider-to-student ratios often fall far below national recommendations. By funding internships and stipends for interns and supervisors, WWC makes mental health services accessible to students who might otherwise face transportation or provider barriers. To date, the program has successfully placed more than 175 interns in rural schools—nearly 90 percent of whom were hired by their districts—significantly easing the workforce shortage.”

“Beyond recruitment, WWC focuses on retention and sustainability. It offers professional development tailored to rural providers, quarterly roundtables on evidence-based practices, and free continuing education units (CEUs). A coaching program pairs seasoned professionals with newcomers to reduce burnout and build confidence. The innovative “Grow Your Own Mental Health” curriculum introduces high school students to mental health professions through dual-credit courses, sparking early interest in the field.”

A room with wood flooring, large windows with blue curtains, and two chandeliers, filled with people seated at tables with games and a spinning wheel, and others standing or filming in the background.

Students from the Dundee, Geneva, Greece, Lyons, and Seneca Falls school districts gathered for the year-end Grow Your Own (GYO) Mental Health Symposium at Nazareth University in May 2025. (Photo by Erin Cole)

Presentations

  • Breaking Barriers: Strengthening Rural Education Through Collaboration

    National Forum to Advance Rural Education, 2025

  • Building the Future: School-Based Mental Health Pipeline for Growth, Training, and Success

    New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) Convention, 2025

  • Grow Your Own: Building the MH Workforce Through Dual Credit Courses

    New York State School Counseling Association (NYSSCA) Annual Conference, 2025

  • "Grow Your Own: Empowering Rural Youth for Careers in Mental Health" Grow Your Own: Building a Rural Mental Health Workforce Pipeline Through Dual-Enrollment

    Advancing Mental Health in Schools Conference, 2025

  • School Based Mental Health Coaching: Building Capacity, Highlighting Diversity & Supporting Retention in Our Field

    Advancing Mental Health in Schools Conference, 2024

  • Anchoring Your Program through Alignment & Sustainability.

    American Institute for Research Grant Summit, 2024

  • Evaluation Matters: Best Practice for School Counselors

    Evidence Based School Counseling Conference, 2023

  • A Cross Collaborative, Community Schools Approach to School-Based Risk Assessment Development.

    Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, 2022

  • The State of Education 2021

    EED Annual Summit: Investigating the Landscape of Diversity & Equity. United States Department of Education, 2022

  • University-Assisted Full-Service Community Schools Panel

    Netter Center UACS Regional Training Center at Binghamton University, Netter Center for Community Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania, and NYSED Central/Western Region Community Schools Technical Assistance Center, 2022

  • Youth Voice 2020: Covid-19 & Social Emotional Wellness in Rural Districts

    Advancing Mental Health in Schools Conference, 2021

  • Utilizing Community Schools Model to Enhance ATOD Prevention

    National Prevention Network Conference, 2021

  • Data Driven Community Schools Model to Plan, Implement, and Evaluate Services in Rural School Districts

    American Educational Research Association National (AERA) Conference, 2021

  • What is a Trauma Informed School?

    Western Nebraska School Mental Health Conference, 2021

  • Evaluating School Counselors: Measuring Best Practice and Informing Profession Development

    Mental Health in Schools National Conference, 2020

  • Evaluating School Counselors: Measuring Best Practice and Informing Profession Development

    Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) Conference, 2019

Media