Mental health and substance use challenges can negatively impact young people’s education, relationships and healthy development.
1 in 6
U.S. youth have a mental health condition.
Only 1/2
receive treatment
Today’s youth face significant stressors in their daily lives, including social media pressures, mass violence, environmental anxiety and social injustice.
As awareness of the importance of youth mental health grows, it’s essential that we provide resources that give youth, providers and families the information they need to improve access to care and education around mental health and substance use disorders. Programs that bolster resiliency and mitigate risks presented by social determinants and environmental factors are invaluable, but insufficient alone. A comprehensive and coordinated public health approach beyond the clinical setting, school and home is necessary to address social determinants of health and holistically turn the tide on youth mental health challenges.
The National Council seeks to contribute to a connected web of care that includes social justice, supports trauma-informed approaches that provide welcoming and safe environments for healing, and offers platforms for youth to meaningfully advise and make decisions about the systems that affect them.
We collaborate with multidisciplinary stakeholders to continually develop national resources supporting youth mental health and wellbeing.
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For more information on the National Council’s youth-focused work, or to explore potential partnerships, contact Amanda Stark at AmandaS@TheNationalCouncil.org.