246512 Mental Health Services in School Settings: Issues in Implementation and Integration

Monday, October 31, 2011

Oliver Massey, PhD , Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Robert Lucio, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Donna Burton, EdM , College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Children have long been acknowledged as a special needs population for a range of mental, emotional and behavioral conditions inasmuch as they are a group commonly underserved. National Data has revealed that fully 80% of children ages 6-17 who need services to address mental health concerns do not receive them.1 Moreover, when children do receive services, they are most likely to do so in school settings, with schools being the most utilized point of access for children's mental health services.2 Schools have been cited as a good fit and a logical choice for provision of mental health services in view of the existing infrastructure through which they deliver similar social-emotional support services and easy access to youth at risk or in need of services. 2,3 However, despite this ‘best fit', there is a significant gap in the translation of evidenced-based best practices into workable programs in the field. 4,5 This paper presentation will explore the structural and programmatic barriers to implementation and integration of mental and behavioral health services in schools settings. We will report on outcomes from a survey of student services staff, including guidance counselors, school social workers and psychologists, health educators, teachers, resources officers and principals providing information on implementing, integrating, and sustaining mental health services within schools. A review of the structural and programmatic barriers as well as facilitators to an integrated services delivery and referral network will be discussed along with perspectives on readiness for implementation of evidence-based practices and programs in schools.

Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Program planning
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe structural and programmatic barriers to integration of mental health services within schools. 2. Describe structural and programmatic elements that may facilitate the integration of mental health services within schools. 3. Discuss outcomes from a survey of school services staff on the implementation, integration and sustainability of mental health services in school settings. 4. Identify elements of organizational readiness for implementation of evidence-based practice and programs within school settings.

Keywords: Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Am an assistant professor in school based research at the university of south florida.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.