Discussions around the importance of youth mental health have been on the rise in recent years.
According to the World Health Organization, one in seven adolescents experience a mental health condition, many of which are largely unrecognized and untreated.
“We have seen an increase in mental health issues among our youth, and it’s not just Dublin. It’s across the state, across the country and across the world,” says Tyler Wolfe, director of student wellness at Dublin City Schools. “We know that students, many times, cannot access learning if mental health issues are present in their lives.”
Recently, the district partnered with The Ohio State University to establish a program that allows staff members to earn a master’s degree in social work. The goal of this program was to combat the overwhelming need for mental health support in schools in order to help students navigate school and life.
This partnership nearly doubled the number of mental health specialists in the district.
Creating the cadre
Around three years ago when awarded COVID-19 relief funds, Dublin City Schools chose to invest it into mental health resources throughout the district in order to create a long-term support system
Dublin City Schools
Partnering with OSU, the district covered the costs for 25 staff members to earn a master’s in social work, with the emphasis in school social work. The goal was to create an innovated solution to address the mental health workforce shortage.
The goal of the partnership was to create an educator to social work pathway as a “grow-your-own” program, meaning they chose staff working in the district already to earn the degree, then those who completed the program would be employed by the district as mental health specialists.
“We thought it would be a great opportunity to have people hired into these mental health specialist positions who have experience in Dublin City Schools, who knew the parents, knew the kids and knew how our district operated,” says Wolfe.
The district held an information session to outline the program, which more than 100 people attended.
Dublin City Schools
In the end, 42 people applied and went through a rigorous vetting process. That pool was narrowed down to 25 participants, including staff members from a variety of subject areas including art, science, math and some school psychologists as well.
The district called the program the Cadre, which is a small group of people trained for a specific purpose or profession.
“We had a wide variety of people with varied backgrounds, which I feel adds to the diversity and the quality of our team,” says Wolfe.
The program took two years to complete. During the first year, the team continued working full time and attending evening classes in Dublin. In the second year, they completed internships throughout the district.
The group graduated in May of 2025 and have been placed throughout the schools as mental health specialists since the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.
Each school in the district has at least one mental health specialist, with larger buildings having multiple.
The impact
Brenda Applegate, a newly appointed mental health specialist at Dublin Jerome High School, has been with Dublin City Schools for the past 20 years. She applied for the program after noticing the growing youth mental health crisis following the pandemic.
While the program expanded mental health support for students, it also created a built-in support system with staff to better help each other.
“In a district this large, it’s easy to work in isolation and not know others in your discipline. Building this connection makes it simple to reach out for support, resources and ideas. I no longer feel alone in my role. I have a community of Cadre members I can contact at any time,” says Applegate.
She has already seen the benefits daily throughout the school and in the classroom for both students and staff.
“Students receive assistance for emotional, behavioral and crisis needs that can reduce classroom disruptions and improve attendance and readiness to learn,” says Applegate. “Staff benefit from consultative support, resources and strategies for managing student mental health concerns, which can lower burnout and improve classroom climate.”
The impact of additional mental health specialists in the schools continues to grow in meaningful and preventive ways.
“Having a mental health professional in each building enables early identification and intervention, preventing problems from escalating and reducing the need for intensive services later,” says Applegate.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
