NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Every public school in the state of Tennessee has a School Resource Officer, but could state leaders take a similar approach when it comes to a student's mental health?
"Things have gotten into a place where it’s a high need right now," said Marie Williams, Tennessee Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
According to Williams, the state already has about 270 school-based mental health professionals, called behavior health liaisons. Behavioral health liaisons serve as mental health professionals who can do everything from educating students about resources to doing direct interventions if given proper parental approval.
With 270, that means every Tennessee county has at least one, but she thinks that's not nearly enough.
"Our vision is to try to get to a place where we get one in every school in this state," said Williams. "It’s someone that creates a safe space for kids, that may be struggling with anxiety or depression."
But to put a liaison in every public school, it will require a big budget increase allocated from Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tennessee) in his proposed budget. Lee was asked about the concept this week.
"It’s certainly something that I’m very interested in," said Gov. Lee.
Lee says he believes in the work these liaisons do, it just may come down to monetary resources. "We’ll look and see if it fits in the budget," he said.
Williams hopes state leaders can find a way because she's seen firsthand what it could mean for each school.
"[Students] are so grateful to that counselor who took the time and really cared about them and helped them in their time of need and their time of struggle," said Williams. "We also have a lot of incredible resources to respond with, that if we’re able, would love to take them to scale across the whole state and serve every school."
Gov. Lee's official budget proposal will be finalized by the end of January 2024.
If you'd like to learn more about the behavior health liaison program in Tennessee along with other state resources, click here.
