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DC COMBS
The DC Consortium for Mental Wellness and Behavioral Health in Schools (DC COMBS)
DC COMBS is a learning community and community of practice dedicated to better understanding and advancing student-led, parent-led activities that promote mental wellness and behavioral health. Our community brings together students, parents, and professionals - including teachers, lawyers, mental health clinicians, researchers, policy advocates, policymakers, and funders - who are committed to advancing mental wellness and behavioral health in schools.
Vision
- The Consortium envisions that:
- All youth in DC enjoy robust mental wellness and behavioral health (MW & BH);
- Families are engaged, supported, and heard in ways that enhance their well-being and ability to support their children;
- The professionals who support youth in DC experience strong collaboration, continuous learning, and have appropriate resources to perform their roles;
- Schools are safe and caring places that make learning fun and help students thrive.
Mission
- The Consortium aims to advance improvements and equity in school mental health by:
- Strengthening collaboration across research, practice, and policy spheres
- Creating pathways for community voice to drive action and decisions
- Establish ongoing relationships between consortium and key actors - including District agencies and policymakers, school leaders, staff/teachers, parents/caregivers, and students/youth.
Our Approach: Three Pilots
- The Consortium is implementing three pilot groups with new approaches for collaboration, leadership, and system transformation:
Pilot 1 strengthens collaboration among school communities and partners to implement mental wellness and behavioral health best practices through shared decision-making, data, and technical assistance.
Pilot 2 is reshaping how school-based mental health is communicated in DC by co-creating inclusive, community-rooted messaging with students, families, educators, and advocates.
Pilot 3 advances policy change by building a feedback loop between community voices and policymakers, with a focus on advocacy, research, and Medicaid reimbursement for school mental health services.