Stanford University Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

Bay Area and US implementation will give communities unprecedented resources for early intervention and prevention of mild to moderate mental health issues in adolescents, customized by local youth to their cultures. Peer-­led marketing will reduce stigma around accessing care. Holistic assessments will be provided; prevalent concerns are depression, anxiety, other mental issues, situational issues, physical/sexual health, alcohol/drugs, work and study. Services will be non­-stigmatizing, affordable, confidential, and readily available, offered in stand-apart, youth­-friendly locations. Competent, well­-trained staff will provide youth-­specific, culturally safe, evidence-based professional services, with pathways to specialized care for those with complex needs. Psychosocial functioning and psychological distress will improve. Local and national cultures of adolescent wellness will be introduced, building skills, resilience and happier, healthier transitions to adulthood. Implemented on a large scale, this has potential to reduce disease burden and costs of mental disorders among youth (~$247B in 2013) such as health care, special education, juvenile justice and decreased productivity. The project seeks to prove the model can effectively engage Bay Area youth, de-stigmatize mental health care and improve outcomes for young people experiencing mental health issues. The 2015 US headspace feasibility study affirmed this unique opportunity to disrupt the broken system of early mental health support and lay groundwork for a nationwide youth mental health service and culture. For the 3­-year award period replication goals include establishing 2 Bay Area pilot sites, producing guides for program implementation and initiating one or more East Coast sites. National infrastructure for governance, pilot site selection, clinical quality and oversight is being developed, as are local networks and advisory groups, to ensure adaptation to specific cultures and fidelity to the US model. The team anticipates reaching 30,000 individuals in the Bay Area during this phase: 20,000 via marketing, 8,500 via schools and 1,500 in direct services. This number will increase exponentially as a proven framework for implementing headspace in the US is developed and more centers open. As the movement spreads, it has the capacity to reach millions of young people, families, educators and more.