by Heidi Gómez ·
Friday, June 12, 2026
Schools have been providing mental health services in some form since the early 1900s. The first school psychologist was appointed in 1915 in Connecticut. His primary function was to travel to rural areas and evaluate poorly performing students. Since then, the range of services provided in schools has evolved.
Currently, Massachusetts schools employ a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) that helps “all students progress academically, with their social emotional and behavioral development, in their physical and mental health and wellbeing, and with a strong sense of belonging and connection,” as noted on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.
Tier 1 (universal) includes screening and preventive skillbuilding for all students–for example, whole-class instruction addressing bullying. Tier 2 (targeted interventions) provides students who have specific needs with additional support, such as short-term, small-group meetings on conflict resolution. Tier 3 (intensive interventions) provides highly individualized and intensive support to students with significant or persistent needs, like a special education classroom for students with anxiety.
Talking about youth mental health is critical to this reporter, a former school psychologist. It brings to light overlooked concerns and can offer solutions. It can help reduce the stigma that has historically been associated with mental health problems. Merely talking openly about this topic can start the process of protecting children and youth.
The Nashoba Associated Boards of Health (NABH) released a community health needs assessment that identified youth mental health as the primary need in the region, as reported in the May 22 issue of the Press. NABH is now developing a Community Health Improvement Plan scheduled to be completed in June, said Jenna Montgomery, a public health educator with NABH.
In a telephone interview, Director of Pupil Services Michelle DellaValle said the mental health needs of Harvard students vary depending on their grade level. Younger students struggle more with dysregulation, “overt behavioral manifestations of emotional challenges.” DellaValle also said she has seen an increase in the number of students struggling and needing support with their emotional regulation, necessitating an additional counselor at the elementary school.
At the secondary level, “We see more students with internalizing behaviors, like anxiety and depression. We are seeing hospitalizations and acute crises,” said DellaValle. In a separate interview, high school Principal Kim Murphy said anxiety and perfectionism are “particularly acute in high-performing districts [where] students put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform well all the time.”
Various professionals within the schools are available to address students’ needs, structured in a manner consistent with the MTSS described earlier. School counselors are available to meet with any student to discuss “personal/social counseling as needed,” noted on the Bromfield Counseling Department website. Murphy stated that school counselors may refer students with more significant concerns to a school adjustment counselor who is a licensed social worker. The school psychologist also maintains her own counseling caseload.
Programming is available to address mental health needs in the school. Within regular education, there is the Building Resilience for Youth in Transition (BRYT) program, which provides intensive support to students returning after an extended absence or students who might otherwise need an intensive yet short-term program, DellaValle said. This school year, an intensive special education program called SOAR (not an acronym for anything) began. The addition of SOAR has helped bridge the gap in the continuum of services available to all students.
Last year, one of the Harvard Public Schools’ budget requests was for a social-emotional learning teacher at Bromfield. With the approval of the override, the schools initiated the SOAR program for the school year 2025-26, with Miki Fitzgibbons as the special education teacher. A school adjustment counselor and a paraprofessional or learning assistant are also attached to the program.
SOAR is a comprehensive program for middle and high school students who have qualified for special education, either because of an emotional impairment or another disability that impacts their emotional regulation. DellaValle said it offers proactive time to work on individualized education program (IEP) goals, learn emotional regulation and how to maintain it throughout the day, counseling, and scheduled student-teacher check-ins.
DellaValle said there are also in-the-moment, reactive types of support when challenges come up during the day. Fitzgibbons said her classroom is “designed to be that kind of quiet space [students can come to] if there is high anxiety in the general ed setting.” She added that her students have many similar needs and there is a good peer support system.
Murphy said it has been “really great to have the program in-house,” allowing for the flexibility to address student needs as they arise. Similarly, Fitzgibbons believes it has been “a success so far for all the students that we’ve had.” Three students who were in out-of-district placements were able to return to Bromfield with SOAR support.
At the time of the interview with DellaValle, an end-of-year program review was in the works. DellaValle, Fitzgibbons, the school adjustment counselor, the board certified behavior analyst, and the special education administrator at the secondary level were involved in determining if the program met the criteria they laid out at the beginning of the school year. Data regarding student progress, attendance, discipline, grades, health, hospitalization, and other student-specific information will be evaluated to help determine what is working and to adjust practices that may be less effective.
“We are really grateful for the town support in funding this program,” Murphy said. In considering next steps, she and Fitzgibbons are looking for community partnerships wherein students can gain real-world experiences, similar to job skills or life skills.
There are “pretty clear protocols for students experiencing a mental health crisis,” DellaValle said. Murphy is the point person at the high school, while Principal Dan Hudder is the point person at the middle school. A school-based mental health professional (school psychologist, school adjustment counselor, or school counselor) is quickly brought to the student. Murphy said the staff typically knows to whom the student would respond best. The student’s family is called, as well as the school nurse if a medical emergency is happening simultaneously. If an incident is occurring in a public space, the rest of the school may be told to hold-in-place to respect the student’s privacy. When appropriate, there may be a screening for suicidal ideation, administered only by one of the school-based mental health personnel. More often than not, DellaValle said the parents decide where to take the student—home, to their chosen mental health provider, to emergency psychiatric services, or to a hospital emergency department. “It is rare that we would call an ambulance,” she said.
A primary partnership is with students themselves. Fitzgibbons said, “I think as a district we are student-facing.” “Student-centered,” Murphy clarified. Educators pay attention to what works for students, even asking students who have come from other schools to share strategies that were successful for them in their previous settings. Fitzgibbons added that it is important to listen to what students say about what they need to succeed, while at the same time, holding them to the school’s behavioral and academic expectations for all students.
Murphy said that Bromfield has been working with the school resource officers from the Harvard Police Department, Tim Schaeffer and Fawne Russell. Murphy stressed that the officers are not there in an investigative role but for student support. For example, students can ask to speak with an officer if they are being bullied outside of school. Police officers have also participated in school events, such as the Special Olympics. Schaeffer brings Franny the comfort dog to school, and Murphy said everyone is excited to see Franny: “It is like a celebrity sighting.”
DellaValle said the Harvard Public Schools have a relationship with Advocates, a nonprofit organization in Harvard to which they can refer students for counseling. She also cited Community Healthlink for emergency mental health services, although this organization is scheduled to close soon. Within the counseling team, there is a list of providers that the schools have worked with. “We try to offer individualized, thoughtful recommendations for families of students,” she said. However, students can sometimes still wait four to six weeks for an appointment. The school district is working on increasing its bank of outside resources.