Teacher Supports for Students With Mental Health Needs and Collaboration With Mental Health Providers

• In Event: The Role of Teachers in Identifying and Supporting Students With Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Overview
Once teachers have identified a student as potentially having mental health needs, they make a decision about whether and how to provide that student with supports. This paper examines the supports that teachers provide to students and organizational factors that might contribute to support provision.

Theoretical Framework
Using the Gateway Provider Model (Stiffman, Pescosolido, & Cabassa, 2004) as a framework, this study examines provider perceptions of organizational factors that influence service delivery to youth. Organizational factors include the structure of the service system and psychological climate of service delivery. By studying the supports that teachers provide to students and their perceptions of the service system, we can identify areas for intervention. The study will address two questions: What are teachers’ perceptions of school-wide supports for student mental health in their schools? Are teachers’ perceptions of school-wide support associated with their reported likelihood of providing supports for individual students?

Methods
Using the same sample as the previous study, we examined teacher responses to survey questions about the organizational climate of school mental health supports.

Results
Preliminary results indicate that the majority of teachers (95%) indicated that they were highly motivated to support the social-emotional needs of their students. The majority of teachers (60%) also indicated that they had the skills to meet the social-emotional needs of their students and 80% reported that they were clear about the process for referring students to receive social-emotional supports within their school.
Teachers generally reported positive collaborative experiences with mental health service providers in their schools. Sixty percent said that when they referred a student to a mental health provider in their school the provider “always” met with the student. Fewer (30%) indicated that these meetings were “always” helpful. About half (53%) of teachers said that mental health providers “sometimes” or “always” told teachers what they discussed with students, and about half (59%) said that mental health providers “sometimes” or “always” requested that the teacher make accommodations/modifications in their classes for these students.
In terms of organizational supports, just under half (48%) of all teachers indicated that their school has a written plan for addressing student mental health needs, but half of those teachers reported that they were unfamiliar with the plan. Similarly, most teachers reported that their school had a written plan for responding to violence (77%), but one-third of those teachers were unfamiliar with the plan.

Significance
Data collection will continue in the fall. Once data collection is complete, we will analyze differences in teacher perceptions of organization characteristics as they related to geography and school urbanicity. We will also examine the association of these organizational characteristics with supports that teachers indicate they provide to students in their school. Future directions for school mental health research, practitioners, teachers and school administrators will be discussed.

Authors

• Javier Guzman, Boston University

• Shannon Gribben, Boston University