• Unmet mental health needs are widespread:
  Nearly 1 in 4 mothers (23%) who sought mental health support for their child could not obtain care when it was needed, most often due to cost.
• Cost remains the primary barrier—even for insured families:
  Although 96% of families have insurance, more than half of mothers (51%) cite cost as the main obstacle to accessing mental health care for their children.
• Private insurance is not delivering adequate access:
  Among mothers lacking sufficient access to care, 80% have private insurance, and fewer than half believe their plans provide adequate mental health coverage.
• Children’s and parents’ mental health are closely linked:
  Mothers worried about their children’s mental health are significantly more likely to struggle with their own mental health, highlighting the interconnected nature of family well-being.
• Availability does not equal usability:
  Even when services exist, families face practical barriers—including difficulty accessing therapists, inconsistent school-based supports, limited provider training, and scheduling constraints that make care inaccessible.
• School-based supports emerge as the most effective solution:
  Across qualitative responses, mothers most frequently identified expanded, well-resourced school-based mental health services as the clearest and most actionable path to meeting children’s needs.

Pulse Check 2025, a nationally representative study of 2,700 U.S. mothers, examines children’s mental health needs, access to care, and family experiences navigating support systems. Conducted in partnership with Inseparable, the report centers mothers’ firsthand observations at home, in schools, and in healthcare settings to identify gaps in care and practical paths forward. Findings underscore the scale of unmet need, the central role of cost and insurance barriers, and the importance of school-based and family-centered solutions.

Commissioned by Inseparable, a leading national mental health advocacy organization, this report explores mothers’ views on child mental health, including day-to-day impacts, gaps in care, and the challenges and successes of support in their communities. Using these insights, the report offers timely, experience-based guidance for leaders across government and commercial sectors in mental health care. From July 17 through August 14, 2025, a total of 2,703 mothers shared their level of worry about their child(ren)’s mental health, firsthand experience with mental health impacts, gaps in care, ease and difficulty of access, and views on the most effective path forward to support children. By connecting mothers’ observations at home, in schools, in doctors’ and therapists’ offices, and across everyday interactions to the national recommendations laid out by Inseparable, including fostering a mentally healthy school climate, expanding early intervention, strengthening school–community connections, and ensuring sustainable financing, this report pinpoints where federal and state policy can most powerfully respond to the urgent needs of families.

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