Abstract
This chapter addresses the complexity of preparing school mental health practitioners to practice in educational settings. We identify the multiple disciplines that are recognized by federal legislation as qualified school mental health practitioners and describe the school-specific certification regulations, standards, and practice models across several professional groups. We detail workforce development and practitioner barriers to service provision in schools. Next, we offer several best practice recommendations for workforce development. We push forward the call for a unified, interdisciplinary model in school mental health, to cohesively align practitioners toward enhanced collaboration across disciplines with a revitalized focus rooted in pursuits of social justice. In conclusion, we provide a case study exemplar of an interdisciplinary post-masters certification program.
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Notes
- 1.
(1) ethics and values, (2) qualifications, (3) assessment, (4) intervention, (5) decision-making and practice evaluation, (6) record keeping, (7) workload management, (8) professional development, (9) cultural competence, (10) interdisciplinary leadership and collaboration, and (11) advocacy.
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Acknowledgments
Dr. M Kelly passed away prior to publication. His contributions to this chapter and to the field of school mental health were immense. Michael was a wonderful friend and colleague. He is and will continue to be missed.
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Kelly, M.S., Mitchell, B.D., Frey, A.J. (2023). Unifying the Field: Challenges and Best Practice Recommendations for Preparing School Mental Health Practitioners. In: Evans, S.W., Owens, J.S., Bradshaw, C.P., Weist, M.D. (eds) Handbook of School Mental Health. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20006-9_20
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