Even when a young person is brave enough to ask for help, mental health treatment is not accessible. Living in a rural part of the state, long waitlists for care, and uninsured and underinsured families with low incomes are some of the many barriers for students getting the help they need when they need it.
New Hampshire girls are twice as likely as boys to experience poor mental health, depression, self-harm, and suicide consideration. Although girls are more likely to ask for help than boys, there are seemingly insurmountable barriers to accessing mental health services.
The Women’s Foundation provided a 2025 community grant to Safe Schools New Hampshire (SSNH), a school-centered, rapid-access, online therapy program being piloted in five school districts (Hopkinton, Lebanon, Claremont, Newport, and Kearsarge).
School counselors and teachers make referrals, parents are involved, and more students are getting the treatment they need. In addition to the clinical providers, the student ambassadors are the key ingredient in this new recipe for success. Selected Juniors and Seniors in all five districts act as student ambassadors, leading the effort to destigmatize and normalize the topic of seeking mental health support. There is no one better suited to spread the word throughout a student community than the students themselves. Notably, 80% of the student ambassadors are young women.
The 2025 Community Grant awarded to SSNH is being used to compensate the student ambassadors for stepping into this leadership role and using their voices to speak out on mental health and wellness. The students lead the way in promotion, messaging, and having important conversations with peers who would benefit from accessing this support in this online format.
“There is power and energy in these students,” says Mark Phillips, Executive Director. “When we release that energy by trusting and empowering them, we harness a powerful force that fortifies the program.” In September, the close of the first year, 120 NH students will have received fast-access online therapy and benefited from 1,000 therapy sessions. For most of those students, this was the first time they had therapy.
The voices of these young SSNH student leaders have reached thousands of students across the Granite State and we were pleased to be a part of their journey.
To learn more about girls’ mental health, visit our Status of Girls in New Hampshire report: https://nhwomensfoundation.org/status-of-girls-nh/.
To learn more about SSNH or our other 2025 grantees, visit: https://nhwomensfoundation.org/grantmaking/2025-grant-recipients/.
