Abstract
School-based mental health (SBMH) programs and services are growing progressively in the United States for many reasons. However, the SBMH field is young and tenuously supported, and challenges are being confronted on many levels. There are major needs to continue to bring research-supported interventions into schools, and to better equip educators and mental health programs and staff in schools to function effectively. Articles in this special issue present the many challenges well and point to important directions for advancing SBMH. To truly advance the field a Public Mental Health Promotion approach is needed. Elements of this approach, in advancing training, quality assessment and improvement (including empirically supported practice), and advocacy and policy influence are discussed, as are strategic connections to the Community Science perspective and to the development of a growing Community of Practice in SBMH.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ambrose, M. G., Weist, M. D., Schaeffer, C., Nabors, L. A., & Hill, S. (2002). Evaluation and quality improvement in school mental health. In H. Ghuman, M. D. Weist, & R. Sarles (Eds.), Providing mental health services to youth where they are: School- and community-based approaches (pp. 95–110). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Botvin, G. J. (2000). Preventing drug abuse in schools: Social and competence enhancement approaches targeting individual-level etiologic factors. Addictive Behaviors, 25, 887–897.
Burke, R. W. (2002). Social and emotional education in the classroom. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 38, 108–111.
Chorpita, B. F. (2003). The frontier of evidence-based practice. In A. E. Kazdin & J. R. Weisz (Eds.), Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents (pp. 42–59). New York: Oxford.
Durlak, J. A., & Wells, A. M. (1997). Primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 115–152.
Durlak, J. A., & Wells, A. M. (1998). Evaluation of indicated preventive interventions (secondary prevention) mental health programs for children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 775–802.
Evans, S. W. (1999). Mental health services in schools: Utilization, effectiveness, and consent. Clinical Psychology Review, 19, 165–178.
Evans, S. W., Allen, J., Moore, S., & Strauss, V. (2005). Measuring symptoms and functioning of youth with ADHD in middle schools. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 695–706.
Evans, S. W., Glass-Siegel, M., Frank, A., van Treuren, R., Lever, N. A., & Weist, M. D. (2003). Overcoming the challenges of funding school mental health programs. In M. D. Weist, S. W. Evans, & N. A. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health: Advancing practice and research (pp. 73–86). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Evans, S. W., Sapia, J. L., Axelrod, J., & Glomb, N. K. (2002). Practical issues in school mental health: Referral procedures, negotiating special education, and confidentiality. In H. Ghuman, M. D. Weist, & R. Sarles (Eds.), Providing mental health services to youth where they are: School- and community-based approaches (pp. 75–94). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Evans, S. W., & Weist, M. D. (2004). Implementing empirically supported treatments in the schools: What are we asking? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 7, 263–267.
Flaherty, L. T., & Osher, D. (2003). History of school-based mental health services. In M. D. Weist, S. W. Evans, & N. A. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health: Advancing practice and research (pp. 11–22). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Graczyk, P. A., Domitrovich, C. E., & Zins, J. E. (2003). Facilitating the implementation of evidence-based prevention and mental health promotion efforts in schools. In M. D. Weist, S. W. Evans, & N. A. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health programs: Advancing practice and research (pp. 301–318). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C., & Bumbarger, B. (1999). Preventing mental health disorders in school-age children: A review of the effectiveness of prevention programs. University Park, PA: Prevention Research Center, Penn State University. Retrieved December 31, 2004 from http://www.prevention.psu.edu.
Han, S. S., Catron, T., Weiss, B., & Marciel, K. K. (2005). A teacher-consultation approach to social skills training for prekindergarten children: Treatment model and short-term outcome effects. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 681–693.
Han, S. S., & Weiss, B. (2005). Sustainability of teacher implementation of school-based mental health programs. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 665–679.
Koller, J. R., & Svoboda, S. K. (2002). The application of a strengths-based mental health approach in schools. Childhood Education: Infancy Through Early Adolescence, 78, 291–294.
Leatherman, S., & McCarthy, D. (2004). Quality of healthcare for children and adolescents: A chart book. New York: The Commonwealth Fund. Retrieved from http://www.cmwf.org.
Lever, N. A., Adelsheim, S., Prodente, C., Christodulu, K. V., Ambrose, M. G., Schlitt, J., et al. (2003). System, agency, and stakeholder collaboration to advance mental health programs in schools. In M. D. Weist, S. W. Evans, & N. A. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health: Advancing practice and research (pp. 149–162). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Masia-Warner, C., Klein, R. G., Dent, H. C., Fisher, P. H., Alvir, J., Albano, A. M., et al. (2005). School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: Results of a controlled study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 707–722.
Nabors, L. A., Lehmkuhl, H. D., & Weist, M. D. (2003). Continuous quality improvement and evaluation of expanded school mental health programs. In M. D. Weist, S. W. Evans, & N. A. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health: Advancing practice and research (pp. 275–284). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. (2003). Achieving the Promise: Transforming mental health care in America. Final Report. DHHS Pub. No. SMA-03-3832, Rockville, MD.
Paternite, C. E. (2005). School-based mental health programs and services: Overview and introduction to the special issue. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 657–663.
Ringeisen, H., Henderson, K., & Hoagwood, K. (2003). Context matters: Schools and the “research to practice gap” in children's mental health. School Psychology Review, 32, 153–168.
Robinson, K. E. (2004). Advances in school-based mental health interventions: Best practices and program models. New York: Civic Research Institute.
Rones, M., & Hoagwood, K. (2000). School-based mental health services: A research review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3, 223–241.
Rowling, L., & Weist, M. D. (2004). Promoting the growth, improvement, and sustainability of school mental health programs worldwide. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 6, 3–11.
Schaeffer, C. M., Bruns, E., Weist, M. D., Stephan, S. H., Goldstein, J., & Simpson, Y. (2005). Overcoming challenges to evidence-based interventions in schools. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 51–58.
Stephens, R. L., Holden, E. W., & Hernandez, M. (2004). System-of-care practice review scores as predictors of behavioral symptomatology and functional impairment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 13, 179–191.
Stormshak, E. A., Dishion, T. J., Light, J., & Yasui, M. (2005). Implementing family-centered interventions within the public middle school: Linking service delivery to change in student problem behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 723–733.
Taylor, L., & Adelman, H. (2004). Advancing mental health in schools— Guiding frameworks and strategic approaches. In K. Robinson (Ed.), Advances in school-based mental health interventions: Best practices and program models (pp. 2-1–2-23). New York: Civic Research Institute.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General—Executive summary. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institute of Health, National Institute of Mental Health.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). Report of the Surgeon General's conference on children's mental health: A National Action Agenda. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institute of Health, National Institute of Mental Health.
Wandersman, A. (2003). Community science: Bridging the gap between science and practice with community-centered models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 227–242.
Weare, K. (2000). Promoting mental, emotional, and social health: A whole school approach. London: Routledge.
Weist, M. D., Evans, S. W., & Lever, N. A. (2003). Advancing mental health practice and research in schools. In M. Weist, S. Evans, & N. Lever (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health: Advancing practice and research (pp. 1–8). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Weist, M. D., Nabors, L. A., Myers, C. P., & Armbruster, P. (2000). Evaluation of expanded school mental health programs. Community Mental Health Journal, 36, 395–412.
Weist, M. D., Sander, M., Lever, N., Link, B., Christodulu, K., Rosner, L., et al. (2002). Advancing the quality agenda in expanded school mental health. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Youth, 2, 59–70.
Weist, M. D., Sander, M. A., Walrath, C., Link, B., Nabors, L., Adelsheim, S., et al. (2005). Developing principles for best practice in expanded school mental health. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 7–13.
Weisz, J. (2004). Psychotherapy for children and adolescents: Evidence-based treatments and case examples. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Weisz, J. R., Huey, S. J., & Weersing, V. R. (1998). Psychotherapy outcome research with children and adolescents: The state of the art. Advances in Clinical Child Psychology, 20, 49–91.
Weisz, J. R., & Jensen, A. L. (2002). Child and adolescent psychotherapy research and practice contexts: Review of the evidence and suggestions for improving the field. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 10 (Suppl. 1), 12–18.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A guide to managing knowledge. Boston: Harvard Business School.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weist, M.D. Fulfilling the Promise of School-Based Mental Health: Moving Toward a Public Mental Health Promotion Approach. J Abnorm Child Psychol 33, 735–741 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-7651-5
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-7651-5