When We Know Better, We Don’t Always Do Better: Facilitating the Research to Practice and Policy Gap in School Mental Health

Abstract

The complexity of getting research into policy and practice, or “GRIPP,” is amplified in school mental health due to its position at the intersection of two distinct fields, education and mental health. GRIPP is hindered by several obstacles, including mutual distrust of researchers and practitioners/policymakers, their differing timelines and misaligned incentives, poor articulation of research findings and practice/policy priorities, and structural barriers that inhibit change. In line with many of the research, practice, and policy-driven studies described in the “Accessing Behavioral Health Services” special issue, this commentary reviews promising mechanisms to facilitate GRIPP. These include translating research findings into brief synopses; increasing networks and shared work among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers via conference and research-practice meetings; facilitating knowledge translation and implementation through intermediary organizations; and improving quality through research-practice partnerships. Addressing the GRIPP challenge in school mental health should include efforts to enhance research with wider methodologies that fit the education context and inclusion of practitioners and policymakers throughout the research process, and expanding and incentivizing the communication of findings through relevant outlets, including social media and policy briefs.