Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of child self-harm and attempted suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tristan Lorenz sat in a room with his school counselor and principal at Alma Elementary in western Wisconsin, listening as his psychiatrist, parents and Buffalo County mental health staff discussed his new medication over Zoom.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tristan Lorenz poses for a portrait in his family home’s backyard on May 14, 2025 in Cochrane, Wis.<\/p>\n
Saskia Hatvany,La Crosse Tribune<\/p>\n
As the adults talked, 11-year-old Tristan felt his body tense and his breath quicken. He felt like everyone was staring at him, dissecting him. Intrusive thoughts suddenly blocked out everything around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy am I here?\u201d he remembers thinking on that day in 2022. \u201cWhy the hell (would) my Mom love me? Can everyone stop looking at me?\u201d<\/p>\n
His darkest thought was that he should kill himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put my hands around my neck,\u201d Tristan said. \u201cI remember choking myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
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His mother, Christine, said she watched on her screen as her son curled into a ball and backed into a wall, knowing something was wrong. She shared a look with the principal, and then the Zoom call disconnected.<\/p>\n
Schools across the country\u00a0are on the frontlines of addressing youth mental health crises at a time when depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation are rising among Wisconsin\u2019s children. But funding for critical \u2014 and sometimes life-saving \u2014 school mental health resources is under threat. Federal grants that schools relied on are being cut, and\u00a0in Wisconsin, Republicans are poised to cut millions in school mental health funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo just put it very bluntly, we don’t have anywhere near the supports that our kids need,\u201d South Shore School District Superintendent Danielle Mikula said. \u201cIt\u2019s a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nationally, mental health indicators worsened from 2013 to 2023, with four in 10 high school students reporting persistent sadness and one in 10 attempting suicide in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 and young adults ages 20 to 24, and the third for those 15 to 19.<\/p>\n
Over the last decade in Wisconsin alone, depression among youth rose 42%, self-harm 21%, and suicidal ideation 41%, according to the 2023 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Rates of anxiety increased 29% from 2017 to 2023. And nearly one in four girls in 2023 said they had seriously considered suicide \u2014 up 46% since 2013.<\/p>\n
The urgency of supporting youth in crisis was underscored by the school shooting in Madison on Dec. 16. Natalie Rupnow opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing a teacher and a 14-year-old student and injuring six others before killing herself.\u00a0Court records released in May<\/a> show Rupnow engaged in self-harm and told her father she wanted to die. Her therapist said she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after her parents\u2019 2022 divorce.<\/p>\n Gov. Tony Evers said in an interview with the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team that the tragedy reinforces the need for mental health support for children statewide. He also cited the 2022 killing of 10-year-old Lily Peters<\/a> and a 2018 hit-and-run that killed three Girl Scouts<\/a> as examples where children\u2019s lives were lost, impacting the mental health of young Wisconsinites.<\/p>\n \u201cThese types of situations \u2026 are happening all across the state every day,\u201d Evers said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s some kid coming home and thinking this is all I can take, and they try to take their lives, or it\u2019s kids that turn to drugs. This is not just something that happens in big cities like Madison, Milwaukee. This is something that happens in every school district in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Christine Lorenz poses for a portrait in her home on May 14, 2025 in Cochrane, Wis. The mother of five said finding mental health resources in a rural community has been a challenge, but found a network of support in her son’s local school.<\/p>\n Saskia Hatvany, La Crosse Tribune<\/p>\n Christine Lorenz said her son Tristan attempted suicide three times between 5th and 6th grade because of bullying related to his gender expression and intrusive thoughts, a side effect of his ADHD medication. Christine noted that sometimes Tristan was the bully when he felt students were giving him weird looks.<\/p>\n Tristan said he used to be gender fluid, but he\u2019s not anymore. As he progressed through puberty, Tristan said wearing skirts and dresses no longer made him feel like himself. He said the lack of acceptance he experienced from his peers made him think he was “not good enough.”<\/p>\n \u201cI was scared,\u201d Christine Lorenz recalled, thinking back to when the Zoom call disconnected. \u201cIt\u2019s just straight panic. Like, I need my son. I need him now.\u201d<\/p>\n The principal called Christine and told her that school staff had activated Tristan\u2019s safety plan. They took him to a safe room and got him a blanket. Tristan said he slept until his mother picked him up and took him to the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have a crew of people grabbing onto your son, going, \u2018I got him. We got him. It’s OK,\u2019\u201d Lorenz said. \u201cIt’s that communication. It was just everything that I needed as a mother.<\/p>\n \u201cThey saved my child. If those people were not there, my child would not be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n No sustainable funding<\/p>\n President Donald Trump has proposed cutting $1 billion<\/a> from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) \u2014 an agency that has given more than $300 million to Wisconsin mental health initiatives since 2014<\/a>, including $35 million to schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n And in April, the Trump administration abruptly terminated $1 billion in U.S. Department of Education grants to help states expand school mental health staffing, including a $10 million grant for Wisconsin. About $2 million had already been disbursed and used for recruitment and retention, but the remaining $8 million was canceled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat one hurt,\u201d Evers said. \u201c$10 million is a lot to school districts. It\u2019s nothing to the federal government. \u201cThe message that they\u2019re sending us is that it\u2019s not our problem; it\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n A similar five-year federal grant that ends this September\u00a0helped reduce Wisconsin\u2019s student-to-mental health professional ratio by 14%, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. That means there were more counselors, nurses, social workers and psychologists to serve each student.<\/p>\n Wisconsin has a shortage of these professionals. To meet national recommendations, Wisconsin schools would need to hire 45% more counselors, 57% more psychologists, double the number of nurses and quadruple the number of social workers, a Lee Enterprises analysis of 2023-24 DPI staffing data found.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t afford a nurse. We can\u2019t afford a school psychologist,\u201d Hurley School District Superintendent Kevin Genisot said. \u201cWe used to have those in years back, but as every year we’ve received inadequate funding, we’ve had to make difficult choices.\u201d<\/p>\n Schools have historically relied on limited competitive grants to fill mental health resource gaps, a system that leaves some districts behind and makes services uneven across the state. And grants run out, meaning some districts have to cut effective staff.<\/p>\n \u201cSchool mental health is the most critical way that we can get to more kids and get to them sooner,\u201d said Linda Hall, director of the Wisconsin Office of Children\u2019s Mental Health. \u201cBut all the school mental health programs need financially sustainable and ongoing funding, and that we don’t have in place.\u201d<\/p>\n Evers proposed $130 million over the biennium in the state budget to help schools hire and retain mental health professionals \u2014 a fivefold increase.\u00a0He also proposed $168 million over two years for broader school mental health services like school-based therapy, teacher training, support staff and stigma-reduction programs.<\/p>\n Evers acknowledged $300 million is \u201ca big number,\u201d but said he was hopeful Republicans would understand the need.\u00a0<\/p>\n But on June 12, the GOP-led state budget committee approved $64 million over the biennium for school mental health \u2014 just 21% of Evers\u2019 proposed funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n The committee cut $10 million over two years from current school-based mental health funds and maintained funding for mental health professionals at current levels instead of Evers\u2019 fivefold increase.<\/p>\n In early May, the committee also cut Evers\u2019 proposals for $380,000 annually for staff mental health training and $250,000 annually for peer suicide prevention<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The budget still needs approval from the GOP-controlled Senate and state Assembly, and a signature from Evers by June 30 before becoming law. But it\u2019s unlikely Republicans will add back any of the mental health funding that has already been eliminated.\u00a0<\/p>\n Co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said Evers\u2019 budget would take Wisconsin from a $4 billion surplus to a $4 billion deficit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis idea that we\u2019re just going to pass whatever the governor has put in front of us is totally unrealistic,\u201d Marklein said.<\/p>\n ‘The feelings teacher’<\/p>\n Auburndale School District\u2019s mental health coordinator, Samantha Phillips, could lose her job because of the potential funding cuts.<\/p>\n Samantha Phillips, mental health coordinator for the Auburndale School District, answers emails during a few spare minutes before counseling a student. Her office is decorated with characters from the Pixar movie, Inside Out, which she uses to help children understand their emotions. She’s popular with students, who call her “the feelings teacher.” But her job could be eliminated due to cuts in mental health funding in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES<\/p>\n Her position is funded by the school mental health dollars that Evers hopes to boost, a budget area that used to be distributed through competitive state grants.<\/p>\n \u201cEven my superintendent shared, \u2018Sam, you definitely have a job for next year, but I can\u2019t make any guarantees after that,\u2019\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI understand I was always grant-funded. It\u2019s a little scary.\u201d<\/p>\n Phillips counsels students, teaches coping skills in classrooms, partners with a clinic to bring a therapist into the school, connects families with resources and even runs truancy enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cThey use me everywhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On one Thursday in May, Auburndale Elementary students repeatedly greeted her with hugs and excited shrieks of \u201cMs. Sam!\u201d Phillips supervised 100 kindergartners and pre-K students at recess, taught lessons to 70 students, counseled seven students and helped four crying students feel better. She said students call her \u201cthe feelings teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n In one 4th-grade classroom, a girl disengaged from a game after her team lost points and the other team bragged. She left her group to sit in the corner and cry quietly.<\/p>\n Phillips noticed and paused the activity. She walked over to the girl, crouched down on the ground and spoke to her softly.<\/p>\n After their talk, the girl was able to return to the Jeopardy-style game and review what she learned about her emotions that year, along with her peers.<\/p>\n \u201cDestroy a box\u201d and \u201cscream into a pillow\u201d were correct answers for healthy ways to cope with anger. \u201cRoller coaster breathing\u201d was a correct answer for a coping skill to use when sad.<\/p>\n Later, Phillips explained she was worried about this class. She had to ban games in December because there was too much \u201ccrying and yelling and screaming,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But on this day, there was no screaming, and crying was minimal. While not perfect, Phillips was proud to see the 4th graders improve their emotional regulation skills, something she worked on with them throughout the year.<\/p>\n Since Phillips started in January 2022, the school district\u2019s well-being has increased from 82% to 90%, according to a grant-funded screening tool<\/a>. The results mean 90% of students \u201chave appropriate behavior, emotional and social skills,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n Auburndale School District\u2019s mental health coordinator Samantha Phillips does everything from supervise recess to teach coping skills to run truancy enforcement. Here, she checks in on a student while walking with him through the halls of Auburndale Elementary.\u00a0<\/p>\n EMILY HAMER, LEE ENTERPRISES<\/p>\n Worsening mental health<\/p>\n Genisot said \u201cthe needs of children certainly have increased\u201d over his 33 years in education in northern Wisconsin. He said the pandemic impacted emotional development because students weren\u2019t interacting face-to-face.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the public in general has no knowledge of the significant level of mental health that children are dealing with at this time,\u201d Genisot said. \u201cIt’s so alarming. You have kids that are dealing with everything imaginable. \u2026 The significant cases you heard before, multiply that number by 10 to 20 from three decades ago, and that’s what we’re dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Elliott, principal of Hadfield Elementary School in Waukesha, said he has seen \u201ca lot more\u201d children running, hiding, throwing chairs, swearing at adults or having other large, emotional outbursts in the classroom.<\/p>\n Mikula said schools are expected to solve all of the problems children face.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a level of need that is beyond the expertise of school counselors,\u201d Mikula said. \u201cWhat really overwhelms our system is when we have kids in crisis who need significant family-based, intensive mental health supports, and there’s just nowhere to turn to.\u201d<\/p>\n School-based therapy\u00a0<\/p>\n To fill the gaps, schools across Wisconsin are adopting school-based mental health programs where contracted therapists from community health providers offer therapy sessions in schools. Parent approval is required.<\/p>\n The programs are funded primarily through parents\u2019 insurance, but schools often need additional funding to hire coordinators to run the programs. More robust programs where therapists are embedded full-time are also more expensive because therapists can\u2019t bill insurance for tasks like training teachers, collaborating with mental health staff or helping address behavior issues.<\/p>\n Lee Enterprises interviewed 14 districts with school-based therapy programs. The districts said the programs are popular because families can access therapy without parents taking off work. Waitlists to get into school-based therapy are usually several months shorter than accessing community-based therapy. Many districts are working to expand as sessions fill up.<\/p>\n Heather Birk, a Wauwatosa resident, said school-based therapy was perfect for her 12-year-old daughter, who has gone through a \u201csilent struggle\u201d with anxiety. Birk said the therapist helped her daughter identify and cope with her feelings.<\/p>\n Birk said having the services at school allowed her to continue getting her 14-year-old son to his more intensive mental health appointments for autism treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one less thing I had to do because I was already running around town for my oldest,\u201d she said. Birk has since had to move districts and the new school no longer offers school-based therapy.<\/p>\n The Racine Unified School District is one of the furthest along in developing its school-based therapy program, which started in 2015. The district now has mental health clinics in nine schools, each with a full-time therapist, serving more than 350 students each year.<\/p>\n Three clinics are open to any school-aged child in the community, regardless of whether or not they\u2019re a student.<\/p>\n Julie Hueller, manager of the Racine Collaborative for Children’s Mental Health, said students discharged from clinics after meeting treatment goals have reduced suspensions and disciplinary referrals, improved attendance and increased standardized test scores.<\/p>\n Mark Sommer, elementary school counselor for the Racine Unified School District, said school-based therapists can reach more students and provide deeper support.<\/p>\n SEAN KRAJACIC, KENOSHA NEWS<\/p>\n Mark Sommer, an elementary school counselor in the district, said the clinics relieve some of the stress on him because children who have experienced trauma can get deeper support from the therapist. Therapy is outside the scope of his license as a school counselor.<\/p>\n \u201cMy time is limited, so I want to make sure that we’re not using all our time on the same kids,\u201d Sommer said. \u201cThere’s so many kids that need our help.\u201d<\/p>\n The Racine school district takes on about 80% of the clinics\u2019 cost. Student services executive director Andrea Rittgers said the district has received financial support from community organizations, including the Racine Community Foundation, United Way of Racine County, Johnson Foundation and WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc.<\/p>\n \u201cThe seed of the success that we have had is that the community decided that this is a need, and we have to do something,\u201d Rittgers said.<\/p>\n The Madison Metropolitan School District has a similar program where therapists work full-time in the school and \u201cbecome part of the fabric of the schools,\u201d said Kristen Guetschow, the district\u2019s director of mental health services.<\/p>\n Guetschow said the program started with two funding sources, and now it has close to 10, which include parent insurance, state funding, local funding and grants.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s becoming increasingly complex,\u201d Guetschow said. \u201cIt takes a lot of creativity to figure out how to sustain these programs.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrea Rittgers, executive director of student services, left, and Megan Palmer, middle school social worker, talk about mental health challenges for students in the Racine Unified School District. Racine has a school-based therapy program that serves more than 350 students each year.<\/p>\n SEAN KRAJACIC, KENOSHA NEWS<\/p>\n Rural districts struggle<\/p>\n Small, rural districts often don\u2019t have the resources to pursue that many funding sources.<\/p>\n Mikula said she applied for a grant to fund a school psychologist position, but her northern Wisconsin district was not selected. It was a challenge to even get a full-time counselor, a \u201cdire need\u201d in her district, she said. She had one this school year for the first time.<\/p>\n Evers\u2019 proposed funding for school-based mental health programs includes a base-level $100,000 for each district. That would be a big help to small districts like Mikula\u2019s, but Republicans cut that base funding from the budget.<\/p>\n In the 2023-24 school year, the funding was based on student count and did not include a base. More than 320 of the 450 districts that received funding got less than $50,000 \u2014 not enough to cover a mental health professional\u2019s salary.\u00a0That’s how funding distribution would continue under the GOP’s proposal.<\/p>\n Argyle School District in southwestern Wisconsin received just $9,000 in school-based mental health funds. District Administrator Randy Refsland said he appreciates the funding, but it was \u201ca drop in the bucket.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to really do anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Argyle has a school counselor, but no social worker or psychologist. The $100,000 could help Refsland hire one, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a shortage of all of those positions, so finding one can be a bit of a struggle,\u201d Refsland said. \u201cBut if the funding is available, it would at least allow school districts to try to find somebody to fill those positions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur future is the kids in this building,\u201d Refsland said. \u201cIf we don’t provide them with the services and the things that they need, it’s a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n Becoming \u2018OK\u2019<\/p>\n Tristan Lorenz cuddles with his new puppy alongside his dad on May 14, 2025.<\/p>\n Saskia Hatvany, La Crosse Tribune<\/p>\n Tristan Lorenz, now 14, said his mental health\u00a0has improved significantly. His therapist has helped him “a lot.” She taught him emotional coping skills similar to the ones Phillips teaches in her classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInhaling twice and then exhaling \u2014 that calms your heart,\u201d he said he learned from his therapist.<\/p>\n A magenta mirror in his locker with a list of emotions helps him identify how he feels, he said. Curling up in a ball makes him feel safe. Drawing, walking outside, playing video games, getting good sleep, hanging with friends, and cuddling his three cats and new puppy all help him improve his mood.<\/p>\n For the most part, Tristan said he no longer has intrusive thoughts, and if he does, he can use these strategies to make himself feel better.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tristan Lorenz puts freshly-picked lilac flowers in his mom’s hair on May 14, 2025. The mother and son share a close bond and open communication about mental health.<\/p>\n Saskia Hatvany, La Crosse Tribune<\/p>\n Tristan said he wanted to share his story to encourage other youth to speak up.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should advocate for yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf \u2026 you\u2019re feeling like, \u2018Oh my gosh, I need to get out of here.\u2019 Ask. Ask your parents,\u201d he said. \u201cTell them, \u2018I’m not doing well. I am physically and mentally not OK. And hopefully they’ll understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAsk them if you can go outside and walk to a friend’s house or anything that helps you, makes you feel good, makes you feel like you\u2019re a part of something.\u201d<\/p>\n Christine Lorenz said Tristan is \u201can amazing little guy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, you will do absolutely anything to keep that little one safe and healthy and happy,\u201d she said. \u201cWhatever it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n Tristan Lorenz, 14, consoles his sister Avery on May 14, 2025 in Cochrane, Wis. The 14-year old’s past suicide attempts still have an emotional effect on his younger siblings.<\/p>\n Saskia Hatvany, La Crosse Tribune<\/p>\n IF YOU NEED HELP<\/p>\n Call 911<\/strong> if you or a loved one are in immediate physical danger. Inform the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency, and ask them to send officers trained in crisis intervention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Call or text 988<\/strong> to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to receive free and anonymous mental health support if you or a loved one are in distress but are not in immediate danger.\u00a0<\/p>\n Call 211<\/strong> to find an adult<\/strong> crisis stabilization facility near you or to be connected with other substance use and mental health resources. For information on youth<\/strong> crisis stabilization facilities visit:\u00a0dhs.wisconsin.gov\/crisis\/place.htm<\/a><\/p>\n Call\u00a01-866-488-7386<\/strong> to reach the TrevorLifeline for LGBTQ Youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Call\u00a01-888-843-4564<\/strong> to reach the LGBT National Hotline.<\/p>\n Call\u00a01-877-565-8860<\/strong> to reach the Trans Lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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