The Brookline Center’s bryt Program Celebrates 20 Years of Transforming Student Mental Health Support

  • bryt has helped thousands of students successfully resume their education, boasting a 95% graduation rate and a 78% reduction in re-hospitalizations among participating students. 
  • Over 66% of Massachusetts public high school students are in schools where they have access to bryt if they need it. 
  • Over the past five years, bryt has trained staff from more than 200 districts in school-based mental health best practices.  
  • Since 2016, the number of schools with bryt programs has grown by more than 600 percent, from nearly 40 schools to over 250 schools in six states today. 

(Brookline, Mass. – April 28, 2025) The 2024-2025 school year marks the 20th anniversary of The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health’s bryt program, which supports a pioneering in-school intervention that has redefined how schools support students whose learning has been disrupted by a serious mental health or medical challenge. With its comprehensive clinical care, academic support, and family engagement model, bryt (pronounced “bright”) has helped thousands of students successfully resume their education, boasting a 95% graduation rate and a 78% reduction in re-hospitalizations among participating students. Since its launch at Brookline High School in 2004, bryt has grown into a national model, now operating in more than 250 schools across six states.  

“For two decades, bryt has led the way in transforming school-based mental health support,” said Ian Lang, CEO of The Brookline Center. “Its success is proof that when schools have the right tools, they can create environments where every student has the opportunity to heal, thrive, and achieve their full potential.”  

Founded in response to a critical gap in school-based services, bryt is transforming how schools approach supports for students with the most significant (i.e., ‘Tier 3’) needs. Using its signature model for support, bryt helps schools implement effective interventions that enable students to successfully transition back to school. These interventions include individualized clinical check-ins and counseling, academic coordination, family engagement, and comprehensive care coordination to align school and community supports around each student’s needs. 

“When we started bryt at Brookline High, we were one of the first programs in the country to think differently about how students facing serious mental health challenges could be supported by schools,” said Henry White, MD, Senior Innovation Advisor and the founder of the bryt program. “Kids are resilient. We believed that if we provided care, structure, and academic support for a few weeks when they returned to school, these students could recover, resume their academic and social lives, and succeed.”   

bryt’s momentum has accelerated thanks to a $13 million in historic investments from Governor Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, and the Massachusetts Legislature in 2023-24, which is seed funding and helping to sustain bryt in more than 50 schools in economically challenged and under-resourced communities, including Boston, Brockton, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Springfield, and Worcester. Beyond Massachusetts, efforts are underway to create a pathway for more schools nationwide to bring bryt to their students. The bryt national team is developing a strategic framework for scaling the program, with initial expansion targeted in Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island.    

“As student mental health needs continue to rise, bryt is evolving to meet the moment,” said Paul Hyry-Dermith, bryt’s National Director. “We’re working to ensure every school has access to a proven, sustainable approach to supporting students—and to make bryt a national standard for mental health recovery in education.”  

bryt Milestones 

  • 2004: The first bryt intervention was implemented at Brookline High School.
  • From 2005-2016: bryt expanded to 35 new schools across Massachusetts, including school districts in Acton-Boxborough, Arlington, Boston, Concord Carlisle, and Weston.
  • 2008: bryt held its first annual symposium, bringing together education professionals to share strategies and inspiration for supporting students recovering from mental health challenges and building inclusive school communities.
  • 2014: The Brookline Center developed the first strategic plan for bryt, which established a team dedicated to planning, implementing, and continuously improving the intervention in schools, resulting in a significant increase in the number of schools implementing the model.
  • 2017: Psychology in the Schools published a peer-reviewed descriptive evaluation study of bryt.
  • 2018: The Brookline Center published BRYT Notes, a qualitative evaluation report on the impact of the bryt intervention on wider school culture and infrastructure.
  • 2018: The bryt model began expanding outside Massachusetts.
  • 2020: bryt Team began providing professional development and consultation to educators about school mental health systems (in addition to supporting the bryt Tier 3 intervention).
  • 2022: Building on its history of creating programs like bryt, The Brookline Center founded the Innovation Institute to design, test, and share mental health care innovations. bryt is considered the Institute’s first innovation.
  • 2024: Katherine Houle, bryt’s Director of School and District Support, received the School Mental Health Champion Award in honor of her exceptional leadership and vision in the advancement of school mental health.
  • Today: Students in over 250 schools in six states have access to a bryt program.

About bryt   

bryt (pronounced “bright”) transforms how schools support students and families who have experienced a mental health disruption. Using its signature model for support, bryt helps schools implement effective interventions that enable students to successfully transition back to school after a mental health crisis. Since its launch in 2004 at Brookline High School, bryt has reshaped how schools approach student mental health statewide.  For more information, visit brooklinecenter.org/bryt.

About The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health   

The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health works to transform the mental health care system by the design, development, and scaling of innovative programs and services. The Center provides mental health services, training, and consultation rooted in meaningful innovation and compassionate care, serving adults and children in communities across Massachusetts and nationwide. Our vision: a mental health care system effective and equitable for all. For more information, visit www.brooklinecenter.org.