NCJ Number
209302
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2005 Pages: 3-6
Date Published
February 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the need for and development of expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs that can provide a continuum of mental health promotion and intervention through school-community partnerships.
Abstract
The term "expanded school mental health" refers to partnerships between schools and community programs and agencies that provide mental health promotion and intervention to youth involved in general and special education. This approach contrasts with the more traditional approach of schools providing limited assessment, consultation, and treatment services for youth in or being referred to special education. A prominent theme in ESMH is the integration of empirically supported interventions into schools, with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement. ESMH is being advanced by dedicated interdisciplinary groups of professionals that are joining with parents to move toward a full continuum of school-based mental health promotion and intervention for all youth, including universal approaches to prevent problems, facilitate early identification of problems, and mount intervention and treatment efforts. Progress in meeting the various challenges that confront ESMH will depend on designing programs and providing services that are continuously evaluated for their effectiveness and improved to remedy their weaknesses. 32 references