NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A nationwide mental-health crisis with potentially deadly consequences is impacting communities all over the country, including in the Midstate.
A recent study sheds light on the mental health of children in Tennessee as one state program works to answer the call for help from the state’s young people.
Jennifer Williams teaches English at Holloway High School in Murfreesboro where she has instructed seniors and freshmen for the last 23 years.
“They’re in class. They’re engaged in the class. They’re engaged in the lesson, and they’re engaged with one another,” said Williams as she described her students.
Williams said years ago, that was not always the case as schools dealt differently with students’ disruptive behavior, withdrawal, excessive fears and other symptoms of mental health problems.
The difference now, Williams said, is Corey Thompson, a mental health professional called a school-based behavioral health liaison who is always present to talk with students there.
“You don’t have as many behavioral issues in class. Students are able to focus and learn more in class because there’s a boundary there,” explained Williams. “They’ve been able to talk through whatever issue is bothering them. So, they’re able to come to class and be more focused.”
Thompson said her interactions with students can involve counseling, assessments, developing coping strategies and interventions, with parental approval.
“They’re having to come to school and present this facade that everything’s okay, when sometimes at home, things are not. People are struggling. There’s not always food on the table. Parents are losing jobs, and transportation is not always reliable,” said Thompson. “But we’re asking them to come to these walls and just be a student and learn, and that’s not always a realistic expectation.”
Ever-increasing social media consumption and exposure to traumatic events, Thompson said, add to students’ mental struggles.
New data released in Centerstone’s 2025 Youth Mental Health Report shows:
One in five Tennessee high schoolers reported having significant anxiety or depression. One in five Tennessee high school students has also seriously considered attempting suicide.
Thompson said kids need a safe space.
“When they come in and they realize I am really just here for them with zero expectations,” said Thompson. “They can come in and be themselves, and the good, the bad, the ugly, and it stays in this office, and we’re just here to help them be more successful.”
Thompson is one of 390 behavioral health liaisons assigned to schools across Tennessee, funded by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, who partners with thirteen community health centers. These school-based behavioral health liaisons are now in all 95 Tennessee counties.
“Our goal is to have a school-based liaison in each of the public schools across the state. There’s well over 1,900 schools across Tennessee, including charter schools,” said Matt Yancey, Tennessee Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“What will it take to place these mental health liaisons in every Tennessee school?” asked WSMV4’s Holly Thompson.
“This is going to take time, and it’s going to take additional resources, not only financially, but human resources,” replied Yancey.
That goal, Yancey explained, means adding more than 1,500 school-based liaisons.
“Can Tennessee do that?” asked Holly Thompson.
“Tennessee can absolutely do it,” responded Yancey. “I firmly believe we can get there. This is a goal that’s important to our department, primarily because we know it’s a service that children need.”
Yancey says the school-based liaison program was about a $5 million program five years ago. Today, Yancey said it is over $30 million.
“I think that really demonstrates the focus and the priority in children’s mental health, notably school-based mental health services,” explained Yancey.
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The additional hires would come with a hefty price tag.
“I think it would require at least $100 million more dollars to do this,” said Yancey. “That’s a lot of funding that would be needed. But that’s why we’re looking long-term for this goal.”
“Having more counselors in each of these schools means better academic outcomes. It would also mean safer, healthier school environments and school climates,” said Yancey. “That’s the ultimate benefit.”
Yancey was asked how much the department’s budget would increase for the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison Program next year. Yancey said to stay tuned as Governor Bill Lee’s budget hearings are underway.
For more information and to find out the status of the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison program at a school, click here.
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