Collaborative approaches to increase student and family access to behavioral health services

Introduction: In 2012, the Community Wellness Response Team (CWRT) was established in an urban community to create partnerships with local schools and provide needed access to behavioral health services for underinsured/uninsured and/or newly arrived immigrant/refugee students and families.

Development: The CWRT is composed of therapists-in-training from a university-affiliated community clinic that work alongside school staff to promote mental health service delivery. The CWRT uses a streamlined referral process between target school sites, parent centers, school-based health centers, and a community clinic that facilitates overlapping opportunities for services (e.g. in-school counseling, support groups, in-home therapy visits, access to a community clinic, etc.).

Results: Services provided at the university-affiliated clinic have risen from 1900 sessions conducted in 2011 to over 5,000 sessions in 2014. Suspensions at target schools have decreased. Since 2012, over 200 referrals have been made for at-risk students and families. Integration has developed among a diverse group of service providers. Policy and curriculum changes at the university level have evolved around community needs. Service-based learning has emerged as a viable approach to providing community-oriented behavioral health services in collaboration with school staff.

Conclusions: The CWRT program demonstrates the collective impact of integrated service delivery among school staff, community organizations, and professionals-in-training to provide support within school, home, and community contexts. The CWRT initiative can inform school policy changes and create opportunities that positively impact both student and community health.