From Data to Action: Advancing Youth Mental Health Practice in Spartanburg

Introduction: A Community Response Rooted in Data 

Spartanburg County is at a pivotal juncture in addressing youth mental and behavioral health. While national trends show rising mental distress among adolescents, Strategic Spartanburg’s recent State of Youth Mental and Behavioral Health report emphasizes the urgent local need for action. This research—grounded in both quantitative data and lived experience—calls for targeted interventions, deep community collaboration, and a shift from crisis response to prevention and well-being. During a recent panel discussion hosted by Strategic Spartanburg, leaders across sectors reflected on the report’s findings and explored how schools, government, healthcare providers, and families can take coordinated steps to transform youth mental health outcomes. 

The themes below synthesize insights from this conversation and outline clear practice implications for those working to improve the mental and emotional well-being of young people in Spartanburg County. 

1. Philanthropy and Government: Shifting from Crisis to Prevention 

Dr. Midas Hampton, Founding Executive Director of Strategic Spartanburg, opened the conversation by emphasizing the importance of pairing quantitative data with qualitative stories to drive systemic change. He posed the question: What role can local government and philanthropic leaders play in shaping public narratives that move Spartanburg away from crisis-based mental health responses towards a culture of prevention and openness in youth mental and behavioral health? 

Polly Edwards Padgett, Executive Director of the Spartanburg Regional Foundation, responded with a call to action for philanthropy and local government: 

“It’s important for philanthropy—as well as other governmental entities—to have an entity in their community that is helping us collect data, understand the narrative, so that we can make informed decisions.” 

Padgett also emphasized the need for balance: 

“The crisis is not going away… We have to keep funding what’s needed right now, while also exploring new dollars and innovations for long-term change.” 

This dual strategy—addressing the present while investing in the future—requires a braided funding model that integrates public and private resources. Padgett stressed the role of philanthropic organizations as neutral conveners, bringing together siloed sectors to address the complex ecosystem of mental health. She emphasized the need to both sustain essential crisis care and invest in innovative, community-informed strategies. 

“We haven’t found the money tree,” she noted. “Resources are limited. So how do we braid public and private funding to meet needs and sustain what works?” 

Practice Implication: 
Funders and local governments must develop balanced funding portfolios—continuing to support critical crisis services while piloting innovations that could shift systems upstream. Regularly updated data, like that provided by Strategic Spartanburg, should be used to recalibrate investments and ensure they reflect current realities and emerging needs. 

2. Schools as Supportive Spaces: Embedding SEL and Trauma-Informed Practice 

Colin Bauer, Spartanburg District 7’s Coordinator of Student and Staff Well-Being, expanded the conversation into school contexts, offering a comprehensive analysis of schools’ role in either perpetuating or interrupting youth mental health crises. 

“We are coming in with very much systemic issues within our community… high poverty rates, food insecurity, increases in suicidal ideation—and our students are bringing that into the classroom... If we don’t normalize asking the question, ‘Have you thought about hurting yourself?’—if we avoid it because it’s uncomfortable—we miss an opportunity to connect and protect.” 

Bauer highlighted the urgent need for trauma-informed, inclusive education systems. 

“If we do not do these programs with fidelity, even the best-designed interventions will not produce outcomes,” Bauer stated, referring to programs like the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). 

He broke down the five core components of social-emotional learning (SEL): self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These, he argued, are essential not only for academic success but also for preventing suicide and other adverse mental health outcomes. 

Bauer also pointed to a deep distrust among some students—particularly male students and students of color—when it comes to school counseling services: 

“When students say the only time they’ve interacted with a counselor is during college planning, that’s a huge red flag. We must be building relationships before the moment of crisis.” 

Practice Implication: 
School districts should ensure every adult in the building—from teachers to bus drivers—is trained in SEL and trauma-informed care. Investments should be made in relational infrastructure, not just staffing ratios, to foster trust. Efforts should also explicitly address stigma and normalize help-seeking, especially among male and minority students. 

3. Clinical Gaps and the Need for Parent-Focused Supports 

Dr. Lori Thornton, a licensed clinician and community advocate, spotlighted the clinical side of the mental health ecosystem—especially where current systems fall short. 

“We need culturally competent care for our Latinx and LGBTQ+ students. We also need affordable care in rural areas, including telehealth and transportation options.” 

Thomas warned of an overlooked but critical issue: the mental health of parents. According to Thornton, 40% of Spartanburg parents report stress due to their child’s mental health challenges. 

“Parents are struggling, too. They often don’t know where to turn. And programs like the Café, which support them, aren’t covered by Medicaid. If we don’t invest in family mental health, youth interventions will collapse.” 

She also emphasized a post-acute care desert for youth leaving inpatient psychiatric care and called for a pipeline of psychiatrists willing to work with Medicaid populations. 

“This is a huge opportunity for community stakeholders to step in and ensure that the funding doesn’t dry up.” 

Practice Implication: 
Clinical providers, funders, and state agencies must work together to fill service deserts in rural areas and build stronger post-hospitalization support systems. Community programs that support family education and mental health literacy—like the Café—must be sustained, even if not billable under current Medicaid rules. 

4. Behavioral Health Task Force: Community-Based Systems Change 

Tom Barnet, chair of the Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF), reflected on the evolution of mental health infrastructure in Spartanburg. 

“We’ve moved from a top-down model to one where ideas percolate up from working professionals,” he shared. The BHTF, now in its 13th year, brings together over 180 professionals to identify systemic needs and build sustainable solutions. “We are not policymakers or implementers. We’re a think tank that identifies community needs and helps build strategies that are self-sustaining.” 

He provided concrete examples of community-based success: 

• ACEs training was rolled out across all seven school districts and is now embedded in district cultures. 

• A telepsychiatry model, launched with support from the Duke Endowment, is now sustained by Spartanburg Regional. 

• Peer support systems like Café and the Eubank Center provide nonclinical spaces for youth and families to access help. 

• Similar initiatives have led to proactive strategies around eating disorders (now with VCOM), non-traditional peer support training, community and government partnerships around addiction and recovery, among a host of others. 

“We learned early on: no three-year pilot that disappears. If we build something, it must be sustainable and housed in a real organization,” Barnet added. 

Practice Implication: 
Cross-sector collaboration must prioritize sustainability from day one. Behavioral health task forces and community coalitions should be leveraged as vehicles for developing and institutionalizing lasting care systems. 

5. Centering Equity: Youth-Led Insights and Structural Barriers 

Both the report and the panel discussion highlighted the disproportionate burden of poor mental health on specific subpopulations. For instance: 

• 53% of female students in Spartanburg report persistent sadness. 

• 48% of Latinx students report the same, compared to 38% of their non-Latinx peers. 

• Youth who reported being bullied were twice as likely to experience persistent sadness or suicidal ideation. 

Focus group insights back these trends. One youth recalled: 

“He was always making everybody laugh… then one day, he was crying in the bathroom. He had tried to hurt himself. I had no clue. I think [male students] definitely do hide it.” 

Another participant described the pressure of performing well in school: 

“I was getting hundreds in eighth grade… then I just fell off. My confidence dropped. I stopped taking care of myself.” 

Emphasizing the importance of student education and peer advocacy, Dr. Lori Thornton shared, “The kids need the support of their peers. They need to have that stigma decrease. They need their own mental health literacy, education…” 

Practice Implication: 
Interventions must explicitly account for the unique stressors experienced by girls, youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and students navigating poverty. Youth voice should be centered in both research and solution design, ensuring that programs reflect the lived realities of those they aim to serve. 

Conclusion: Moving Together from Insight to Impact 

This body of research and reflection confirms what many in Spartanburg already know: the youth mental health crisis is complex, urgent, and solvable. But it will require sustained, cross-sector commitment to move from fragmented crisis response to a culture of wellness and prevention. 

Dr. Hampton concluded the panel with a reminder: 

“This is not about admiring the issues. It’s about coming together to address them.” 

Spartanburg has the data. It has the will. The next step is collective, accountable action—ensuring that every young person in the county feels seen, supported, and safe.