What We Do

The Student Therapy Access Project (STAP) brings licensed mental-health professionals directly into public schools to ensure students and staff have immediate, reliable access to emotional and therapeutic support. Our program is designed to identify challenges early, intervene effectively, and promote long-term wellness in school communities.

Program Overview

STAP’s model integrates three core components:

1. Mental Health Screenings

Just like schools require yearly physicals, STAP provides age-appropriate, confidential mental-health screenings for all students. These checkups help identify early signs of emotional stress, depression, trauma, or behavioral concerns—long before they reach a crisis.

2. On-Campus Therapists

Every participating school is assigned licensed mental-health professionals who work on-site throughout the school week. Students and staff can schedule sessions, request support as needed, or be referred directly when concerns arise.

3. Early Intervention & Support

Our therapists collaborate with teachers, counselors, and families to create early intervention plans that address issues before they escalate. This includes ongoing therapy, goal setting, crisis referrals, and support during challenging academic or personal periods.

Implementation Process

Our program is designed to integrate smoothly into existing school structures:

1 - Initial School Assessment – We meet with school leadership to understand needs, student demographics, and existing support systems.

2 - Therapist Placement – STAP assigns licensed professionals who are trained in school-based therapeutic care.

3 - Program Launch – Mental-health screenings begin, confidentiality protocols are established, and communication with parents and staff is initiated.

4 - Ongoing Support – Therapists operate as part of the school community, offering continual support, follow-ups, and intervention when needed.

5 - Evaluation & Reporting – STAP provides regular progress updates (non-identifiable, HIPAA-compliant) to measure outcomes and guide improvements.

Legislative Advocacy

Beyond direct school work, STAP pushes for policy change that makes preventive mental-health

care a standard requirement—just like physical exams.

Statewide funding for school-based mental-health services
Mandatory yearly mental-health screenings
Stronger protections for students’ emotional well-being

Reduce anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges
Provide immediate emotional support during stressful times
Improve school attendance and academic performance
Strengthen communication between students, families, and educators
Reduce youth-related conflict, suspensions, and community crime
Promote a healthier, safer, more connected school environment

County high schools
Additional counties across Maryland
Statewide public school systems
National replication of our school-based model

Our legislative efforts aim to create systemic, long-term change across Maryland.

Student & Staff Benefits

Our program helps:

Program Expansion

Starting with Baltimore County middle schools, STAP will grow into:

We build each expansion phase around collaborative partnerships, program data, and sustainable funding.

We advocate for: