Toward A New Model for Promoting Urban Children's Mental Health: Accessible, Effective, and Sustainable School-Based Mental Health Services

Abstract

A program of research related to school-based models for urban children's mental health is described, with a particular focus on improving access to services, promoting children's functioning, and providing for program sustainability. The first study in this series responded to the urgent need to engage more families in mental health services, and results showed dramatically greater involvement of parents in school-based services relative to clinic-based services. To enhance teacher collaboration, the second study involved training teacher key opinion leaders (KOL) on selected classroom practices for children with ADHD. Classroom teachers with support from the KOL teachers reported significantly higher use of these practices compared to teachers receiving no KOL support. The third study is part of a recent collaboration with the Illinois Office of Mental Health and the Chicago Public Schools, and employs a multitiered approach to service delivery, including the involvement of influential parents and teachers in the provision of mental health services. Future directions for mental health practice and research are described.