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Key Elements of a Successful Multi-System Collaboration for School-Based Mental Health: In-Depth Interviews with District and Agency Administrators

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Abstract

The alarming number of youth with unmet mental health needs in the US is a significant social problem. The pilot school-based mental health project described here established an innovative multi-system partnership between an urban school district, a public mental health agency, and a local university to better meet the mental health needs of youth in one community. This qualitative study employed in depth interviews with six key administrators who were instrumental in developing and executing the project to explore the most important factors that promoted the successful collaboration. Results of the interviews identified five major themes: (a) perceptions of the project, (b) barriers to collaboration, (c) motivating factors, (d) sustainability, and (e) lessons learned. Findings may be especially helpful to other communities interested in establishing a multi-system intervention to support at risk youth. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Education Building, Boise, ID, 83725-1940, USA

    Joelle D. Powers

  2. Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Jeffrey D. Edwards

  3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Kate F. Blackman & Kate M. Wegmann

Authors
  1. Joelle D. Powers
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  2. Jeffrey D. Edwards
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  3. Kate F. Blackman
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  4. Kate M. Wegmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joelle D. Powers.

Appendix

Appendix

School-Based Mental Health Project Administrator Questionnaire

  1. 1.

    Demographic information.

    1. a.

      age, sex, race

  2. 2.

    Stakeholder perceptions of SBMH Project.

    1. a.

      What does this project mean to [the community]?

    2. b.

      From your perspective, why is the SBMH project important?

    3. c.

      How has it been successful thus far?

    4. d.

      What do you hope the SBMH project will achieve in the future?

  3. 3.

    Historical barriers to SBMH in [the community’s] public schools.

    1. a.

      What barriers have prevented school-based mental health efforts in [the community] in the past?

    2. b.

      How did you perceive resistance to school-based mental health efforts in the past?

  4. 4.

    Timing of the partnership.

    1. a.

      Why were the systems able to come together and collaborate/commit to an MOA now?

    2. b.

      Motivating and promotive factors to establishing this partnership – what was the tipping point for this partnership?

    3. c.

      Why did you choose to support this project?

    4. d.

      What did you need to do (in your position) to help the project move forward?

    5. e.

      What relationships were most important in helping to establish the project?

  5. 5.

    The sustainability of the SBMH project.

    1. a.

      What will need to happen for the SBMH project to continue in the future?

    2. b.

      To be successful in future years?

    3. c.

      What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the future of the SBMH project?

  6. 6.

    Lessons learned.

    1. a.

      What would you tell someone in your same position in a different city about this process?

    2. b.

      What have you learned about creating a SBMH partnership?

    3. c.

      Would you have done anything different in you had this to do over again?

  7. 7.

    Other thoughts?

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Powers, J.D., Edwards, J.D., Blackman, K.F. et al. Key Elements of a Successful Multi-System Collaboration for School-Based Mental Health: In-Depth Interviews with District and Agency Administrators. Urban Rev 45, 651–670 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-013-0239-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-013-0239-4

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