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A Youth-Centered Mental Health & Well-Being Agenda for Atlanta
Our mental health is deeply connected to every element of our lives. When young people are able to access mental health services and supports that are responsive and affirming and that promote health and healing, they gain a positive sense of identity, efficacy, and well-being, build resilience, and thrive. Young people who have the mental health supports they need are able to succeed in school, at work, and throughout life.
Yet all too often, young people struggle with their mental health and are unable to find the resources they need. They experience many barriers to well-being, including out-of-pocket costs for certain therapies or treatments, waitlists, and disruptions in care. In Georgia, access to mental health services and supports has been a longstanding challenge. The state is ranked 48th in the nation for access to mental health care and nearly all of Georgia’s counties face a shortage of mental health professionals. In 2020, 45 percent of Georgia’s children and youth ages 3-17 had difficulty accessing or could not access mental health services. Young people in the state describe barriers including a shortage of quality and appropriate providers, inadequate insurance coverage, and high costs.
In our conversations with CARES Ambassadors in Atlanta, they consistently voiced their desire for a better landscape of mental health supports that promote their well-being and ability to pursue the goals they set for themselves. They called for universal access to care so they can easily connect with providers without jumping through hoops, making tradeoffs, or worrying about cost and what is or isn’t covered by their insurance. They described wanting the choices they make to be respected, access to a range of services they identify as helpful, and to hold the system accountable for responding to their needs.
One Ambassador described wanting support from providers who would allow her to “open up and fully express myself without feeling judged.” Another shared that he wanted “to have a provider who understands me and is not a robot.” Most of all, Ambassadors demand care that is high-quality, holistic, culturally-responsive, and affirming of their identities and experiences, particularly as Black and brown youth who have experienced foster care. As one Ambassador explained, young people who experience foster care “deserve quality support… why would it be any other way? Quality mental health propels you forward. When you grow up in foster care, you feel like you are set apart and don’t have the supports your peers have. Mental health supports help you gain the tools you need as an adult.” The following policy agenda reflects CARES Ambassadors’ vision for how young people should experience mental health services and supports in Atlanta, as well as their priorities for how to achieve this vision.