Supporting youth mental health through connection, creativity, and community

A child psychologist shares why student mental health support needs to be accessible, flexible, and woven into how students connect, express, and learn

The mental health needs of students are evolving, and our systems have struggled to keep up. For many families, accessing care is still time-consuming, costly, or confusing. What’s clear is that mental health support shouldn’t be confined to a clinic or a once-a-week appointment. It should meet students where they are–whether that’s online, at home, or in a space that encourages creativity and connection.

That’s the spirit behind the #MentalHealthIs campaign. This nationwide storytelling initiative invites youth, families, clinicians, and public figures to share what mental health really means to them, breaking stigma and building connection in the process. It’s part of a broader effort to make care more accessible, culturally responsive, and community-driven.

The youth mental health crisis demands innovative solutions that go beyond traditional models. At The Child and Family Institute, we’ve learned that effective support requires three essential elements: accessible care, creative expression, and genuine community connection. When we integrate these components thoughtfully, we don’t just treat symptoms–we create environments where young people can thrive.

Mental Health Is Access

One of the greatest challenges students and families face is simply getting help. Waitlists are long, stigma still lingers, and navigating insurance can feel like a second full-time job. Too often, families cycle through multiple providers before finding the right fit, sometimes visiting five to 10 therapists before receiving appropriate care. This journey is exhausting for families and devastating for students who need immediate support.

Telehealth has opened up new possibilities by reducing these barriers, giving students more flexible, private ways to engage with trained professionals. In many cases, it also allows providers to interact with students in their own environments, which can be incredibly helpful for building trust and understanding. When I work with a young person via telehealth, I might ask them to show me their room, share a creative project they’re working on, or play a song they’ve written. This access to their authentic world creates therapeutic opportunities that simply aren’t possible in a traditional office setting.

I often tell families that it’s really hard to be a consumer of mental health care. Even I find it overwhelming at times. A streamlined, evidence-based pathway to care makes a tremendous difference. Offering students access to high-quality mental health support through platforms they already use for learning and connecting eliminates many of the logistical hurdles that prevent families from seeking help.

One example of this approach is the Well Being Program by Urban Sandbox, developed through a partnership with The Child & Family Institute and Columbia University psychology master’s students. The program provides tiered mental health support integrated directly into a creative learning platform where students already engage in expression and peer interaction. This collaboration reflects a growing recognition that meeting students where they are–in digital spaces they already use and trust–can help address some of the access barriers that traditional mental health services struggle to overcome.

Mental Health Is Expression

Creativity can be a central part of strengthening mental health. Whether students express themselves through music, art, writing, or digital platforms, these outlets help them process emotions, build confidence, and feel seen. For many young people, these forms of expression feel more natural and accessible than traditional talk therapy, and they can be just as productive.

In our #MentalHealthIs campaign, time and again, we see responses like “mental health is music,” “mental health is art,” “mental health is creativity,” and “mental health is expression.” These aren’t metaphors–they’re genuine pathways to healing and growth.

I’ve experienced this personally. As someone who writes songs about my own experiences with childhood trauma, I’ve found that creativity can be profoundly healing. When I sing a song I’ve written, I might feel overwhelmed in the moment, but the act of expression often helps me process and move through difficult emotions. It’s a reminder that healing happens in many forms, not just in traditional therapeutic settings.

Helping students cultivate their interests and express themselves in ways that make sense to them can be incredibly healing. Platforms that celebrate and support creative expression build mental health support into the fabric of students’ daily experiences. Still, even the most meaningful forms of self-expression are strengthened by a sense of belonging. Many children in the United States are experiencing increased loneliness, which is harming their psychosocial development given the critical role of relationships with peers during childhood and adolescence.

Mental Health Is Community

When students feel isolated, their emotional health suffers. But when they feel connected to peers, mentors, or caring adults, they build the relationships that support healing and growth. Community isn’t just about proximity; it’s about belonging. Mental health support that fosters connection, whether in person or online, helps shift the focus from crisis response to proactive care.

This understanding has shaped our approach at The Child and Family Institute, where we recognize that therapeutic alliance–the relationship between therapist and client–is actually the number one predictor of treatment outcomes. The relationship matters more than any specific technique or intervention. When students feel genuinely connected to their support system, healing becomes possible.

Connection also serves as a powerful antidote to many of the challenges young people face today. Whether they’re dealing with anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, or even addiction, students who feel connected to others are more resilient and better equipped to navigate difficulties. Platforms that prioritize community-building alongside creative expression–like educational environments where students share work and receive peer feedback–demonstrate how digital spaces can foster genuine connection rather than isolation. Unfortunately, many of the things that capture students’ attention–excessive screen time, social media, or video game addiction–can actually work against authentic connection.

Once students realize that they’re not alone and that many people have the same types of strengths and struggles, then healing becomes about connection, not isolation. Instead of focusing solely on individual pathology, mental health professionals can create environments where students naturally develop the relationships and skills they need to flourish.

Mental Health Is Integrated

The most effective mental health support happens when these three elements–access, expression, and community–work together seamlessly. This is why partnerships between mental health providers and educational platforms are so promising. When students can access high-quality clinical care through the same platforms where they learn, create, and connect with peers, we’re meeting them exactly where they are.

At The Child and Family Institute, we’ve seen the power of this integrated approach. Students receive evidence-based treatment from trained professionals while also having opportunities for creative expression and meaningful connection. Whether they’re working with licensed psychologists or supervised doctoral students, they’re getting specialized care that addresses their unique needs while building the broader skills and relationships that support long-term wellbeing.

This model also allows us to address the reality that anxiety, which underlies so many of the issues we see, often manifests differently in different settings. A student might hold it together at school but struggle with behavioral issues at home, or they might avoid academic challenges because of underlying learning differences that create anxiety. When we can provide both direct clinical support and broader environmental changes, we address the whole student, not just their symptoms.

Mental Health Is Active

Supporting student mental health requires more than awareness–it requires action. That action can take many forms: accessible services, creative opportunities for expression, and spaces where students feel they belong. As educators, providers, and community leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that mental health support is not only available but woven into the environments where students live and learn.

This means moving beyond the traditional model where mental health is something that happens outside of school, in clinical settings, during scheduled appointments. Instead, we can create learning environments where emotional well-being is supported naturally through the relationships students build, the creative work they do, and the accessible support they can receive when they need it.

When we meet students where they are, we don’t just improve outcomes–we change lives. We create a generation of young people who understand that seeking support is a sign of strength, that creativity and expression are valuable tools for processing emotions, and that genuine connection with others is both healing and essential for growth.