Michigan Bill Extends Mental Health Treatment Grants

Graduate students nearing the end of their training are required to provide mental health treatment in Michigan schools. They might soon receive stipend support for a third year under pending legislation. Supporters say this’ll put more counselors and psychologists in classrooms to rectify chronic staffing shortages.

Even though Michigan features a wide range of programs to handle all sorts of addictions and conditions, many continue to seep through the cracks in the system.

House Bill 6106

The bill targets the Student Mental Health Apprenticeship Retention and Training program, known as SMART. SMART started up in 2022 to address shortages in school counseling. It offers stipends to interns while they complete their required field hours in public schools before licensure.

Rep. Curtis VanderWall of Ludington introduced the measure to increase funding, especially for high-need districts. That way, all students won’t have to worry about financial needs as they focus on starting their careers.

Mental Health Treatment in Michigan Schools

SMART has historically covered only the first two years for graduate interns. This approach left students to pay for the final placement year out of pocket. Supporters say the gap discourages candidates from entering the field at all.

6106 might significantly relieve financial strain on graduate students working unpaid or low-paid placements. Qualified professionals can hopefully directly enter classrooms and begin offering treatment.

Mental Health and Addiction Intertwined

That connection is central to dual diagnosis treatment to address co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions together rather than separately. Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or PTSD exist alongside a substance use disorder. Each condition worsens the others. 

Integrated care, where the same treatment team addresses both conditions can change that. In this case, school-based clinicians are often the first to spot warning signs of either. This makes their presence an early intervention asset for the entire behavioral health system.

Care Exists For All

Families in The Wolverine State are poised to enjoy greater access throughout schools. Parents can start by asking school districts for details on services for adolescents, including dual diagnosis treatment programs for teens with co-occurring conditions.

If 6106 becomes law, Michigan would join a growing number of states treating school-based mental health staffing as essential infrastructure.

But no matter your location, treatment exists throughout the USA. Take a look through our directory to find various levels of care that fit your circumstances and needs. Feel free to also call 800-908-4823 (Sponsored) to chat with an expert.

Author

Terri Beth Miller, PhD

Author, Award-Winning Post-Secondary Teacher

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Terri Beth received her PhD in English literature from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and is an educator and disability studies scholar. For more than a decade, she has written extensively in the fields of mental health and addiction recovery and fiercely advocates for the destigmatization of mental illness.

Editor

Peter Lee, PhD

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Peter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history during the Cold War. His primary focus is the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century. He has published widely on how the public has used popular culture as a mechanism to address political and social shifts throughout time