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Incorporating Multifaceted Mental Health Prevention Services in Community Sectors-of-Care

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Abstract

This article proposes a framework for embedding prevention services into community sectors-of-care. Community sectors-of-care include both formal and grassroot organizations distributed throughout a community that provide various resources and services to at-risk children and their families. Though the child population served by these organizations is often at elevated risk for mental health problems by virtue of children’s exposure to difficult life circumstances (poverty, maltreatment, homelessness, domestic violence, etc.) these children face many barriers to accessing evidence-based prevention or treatment services. We review evidence and propose a framework for integrating prevention services into community sectors-of-care that serve high-risk children and families.

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Notes

  1. Even universal sectors may not actually serve all children, missing particularly those at high-risk, such as students dropping out of high school, or children without a primary healthcare provider due to lack of insurance, high mobility, or related factors.

  2. We do not want to confuse sector mission with the range of services provided within a sector: while sectors are most likely to provide services consistent with their mission—such as universal prevention provided in schools and primary care—they may provide a range of prevention or treatment services, such as special education or school-based mental health clinics.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by grant number MH074610 from the National Institute of Mental Health, awarded to Gerald August, and grant number SM56177 from SAMHSA, awarded to Abigail Gewirtz. We are indebted to our community colleagues for their partnership in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Social Science, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 290 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Abigail H. Gewirtz

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Gerald J. August

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  1. Abigail H. Gewirtz
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  2. Gerald J. August
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Correspondence to Abigail H. Gewirtz.

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Gewirtz, A.H., August, G.J. Incorporating Multifaceted Mental Health Prevention Services in Community Sectors-of-Care. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 11, 1–11 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-007-0029-1

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