Leading collaboration that helps Oklahoma’s children and families thrive.
Across Oklahoma, children and young people are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health crises. To stem these crises and the increasing mental health challenges among Oklahoma’s youth, our state needs a full and robust continuum of mental health services.
Healthy Minds promotes best-practice prevention and treatment strategies in schools, fosters partnerships with community-based organizations providers in our communities, and champions policy solutions that promote positive mental health development for children, youth, and families.
of students who receive mental health services access those services in schools
Source: National Center for School Mental Health
of Oklahoma youth ages 12 to 17 had a major depressive episode in the past year
Source: 2024 State of Mental Health Report, Mental Health America
of Oklahoma middle- and high-school students had high levels of psychological distress
Source: 2021-2022 Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment
Essential research
Oklahoma’s continuum of behavioral health care for children
The ideal behavioral health continuum of care is a seamless, comprehensive array of services and supports that links promotion and prevention services with physical health, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment.
It offers services and supports for all children, including those with emerging, low to moderate, and complex behavioral health needs. In Oklahoma, there are many exemplary components in the state’s system, but there are also gaps in services that make it harder for children to get the mental health care they need.
Youth mental health in schools
An estimated 80% of children and youth who receive mental health services access those services in schools. Through Healthy Minds’ research and analysis, we recommend ways state and school district policy leaders can better connect schools and community-based mental health services to improve students’ access to care.
