Comprehensive Children S Mental Health Services In Schools And Communities

Despite the growing emphasis on a population-based training and service delivery model for school psychology, few resources exist to provide guidance concerning how such services might be conceptualized and put into place. In this book, the authors propose a public health model for comprehensive children’s mental health services that expands, rather than replaces, the traditional model of school psychology. The background and theoretical perspective for this public health model are discussed as an important way to solve problems and accomplish goals in schools, after which the authors outline and develop a clear, practical procedure for implementing and evaluating programs based on public health ideas. A case study in one elementary school walks readers through the stages of applying a public health model, detailing the key steps of each stage. Finally, the authors consider the changes to the role of school psychologist that will be required to practice a public health problem-solving model. Accompanying downloadable resources contain sample forms, handouts, and other valuable materials that will be of use to school psychologists implementing this public health model in their schools.

"This book related to fundamental recognitions that 1) children, adolescents, and families usually make no or very poor connections to specialty mental health (see Atkins et al. 1998; Catron, Harris, & Weiss, 1999), 2) schools are where children and youth are, and 3) many advantages accrue when education, mental health, and other youth-serving systems join together to better meet the mental health needs of students, in ways that reflect reducing and removing barriers to learning (Andis et al., 2002; Weist, 1997). National and global networks are increasingly recognizing the centrality of the SMH agenda as reflected in increasing funding, growing training opportunities, key policy initiatives, and an advancing research base that involves localities, states, regions and countries pursuing common themes"--

Turn to this book for practical guidance in attending not only to routine mental health needs of students, but also in responding quickly and effectively to traumatic events. The authors discuss how to build and enhance collaborative approaches among the many stakeholders. You’ll learn how to ensure that best evidence-based practices are used in all systems of care. Next, the handbook introduces strength-based approaches to assessment in schools. Finally, the authors discuss the latest strategies to help you prevent and manage crises while addressing the unique ethical, cultural, and legal challenges of school mental health.

For many children, schools are the main or only providers of mental health services. In this visionary and comprehensive book, two nationally known experts describe a new approach to school-based mental health—one that better serves students, maximizes resources, and promotes academic performance. The authors describe how educators can effectively coordinate internal and external resources to support a healthy school environment and help at-risk students overcome barriers to learning. School leaders, psychologists, counselors, and policy makers will find essential guidance, including: • An overview of the history and current state of school mental health programs, discussing major issues confronting the field • Strategies for effective school-based initiatives, including addressing behavior issues, introducing classroom-based activities, and coordinating with community resources • A call to action for higher-quality mental health programming across public schools—including how collaboration, research, and advocacy can make a difference Gain the knowledge you need to develop or improve your school's mental health program to better serve both the academic and mental health needs of your students!

A key concern for educators, administrators, professional support services personnel, parents and policy makers are barriers to learning, particularly student mental health. Statistics reveal that up to 20 percent of children and youth have mental health issues and up to 80 percent do not receive proper intervention. Barriers to Learning enables readers to gain valuable insight into the challenges presented in classrooms today. This book presents a unique classification and review of various mental health and learning issues. The authors link current education and child and youth mental health reforms to make the case for improving services to address barriers to learning. This book includes a unique School-based Integrated Student Support Model (SISSM), which, within the context of exceptional school leadership and instruction, provides a framework for timely and evidence-based integrated and collaborative services to reduce, manage, and prevent barriers to learning for all students.

This issue consists of five articles profiling different aspects of the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. Over the last eight years, this program provided grants to develop community-based systems of care for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families. A comprehensive, multilevel evaluation has been conducted that has provided information to local grantee communities and the federal government on the implementation and effectiveness of systems of care. Touching on a range of questions that the evaluation is designed to address, the articles in this special issue provide more general information on the system-of-care approach to addressing children's mental health problems.