School districts serving Walnut Creek families are expanding on-campus mental health services this fall, tapping a state program that puts therapists in schools at no cost to parents.
The Walnut Creek School District announced in its August superintendent's letter that it is participating in the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative for the first time in 2026-27, collecting voluntary insurance information to seek reimbursements for its elementary school wellness services. Families pay nothing regardless of whether they share insurance details.
At Las Lomas High School in the Acalanes Union High School District, a Wellness Center already operates Monday through Friday. The center hosted about 200 students at its Wellness Fair last year and runs the Bring Change 2 Mind Club focused on destigmatizing mental health.
The largest expansion is happening across Mount Diablo Unified School District, which hired more Mental Health Clinical Specialists and therapist trainees this year than at any point in its history.
Record hiring at Mt. Diablo Unified
"Every high school has an outpatient therapist on their site working in conjunction with a Wellness Center," Jessica Pozos, assistant director of MDUSD's Mental Health Programs, said in the district's newsletter published Aug. 20.
The need was clear. Pozos said the district had about 30 referrals last year it could not serve, prompting additional therapist positions for this fall.
Wellness Centers now operate at all five MDUSD comprehensive high schools, Olympic Continuation High School and three middle schools: El Dorado, Oak Grove and Riverview. District data shows more than 1,000 students received social-emotional, behavioral, academic and mental health supports through the centers in 2025-26. About 1,080 received more intensive services including counseling, and nearly 70 students received crisis support for urgent needs.
The MDUSD board's Aug. 12 consent agenda included four new mental health and wellness hires: Districtwide Wellness Administrator Sarah Aldama, Mental Health Clinical Specialists Brooke Bell and Emily Develle, and Mental Health Clinical Specialist Catherine Stamnes.
At Concord High School, the expanded team includes Wellness Center Administrator Miriam Rubel, a therapist trainee and two social work interns. Once fully staffed, that center will be open five days a week.
How the state funding works
The CYBHI program reimburses districts for therapy and counseling delivered on campus through students' Medi-Cal or commercial insurance. Services are free to families with no copay or deductible.
Statewide, the initiative represents more than $4 billion in investment. As of spring 2026, more than 230,000 reimbursement claims had been processed, generating $11.3 million in new revenue for school-linked services across California.
MDUSD's mental health team is also working with its Attendance Department to reach chronically absent students, helping them address social and emotional barriers to showing up.
What's next
MDUSD plans to hold parent information nights on student mental health starting in September. The Contra Costa County Office of Education is offering a free three-part webinar series, "Supporting Your Children's Mental Health," beginning Thursday, Sept. 3.
