Multisystemic School-Based Mental Health Services for Students, Parents, and Staff: Preliminary Findings

• In Event: 66.083 - Researching Stress and Developing Interventions That Promote Wellness in Educational Settings

Abstract

Objectives
This presentation will showcase an intensive, multi-systemic school-based mental health program, known as the School Mental Health Center (SMHC) model, that has been cultivated through an innovative partnership between an urban school district and a local mental health practice (Vida Clinic). The SMHC provides full-time intensive clinical and consultation services to students, parents, and staff on school campuses by clinically licensed mental health professionals utilizing an ecological, trauma-informed approach to care. Session participants will also view program outcomes that demonstrate the impact of this School Mental Health Center model on student emotional, social and educational indicators of progress.
Theoretical Framework
For youth experiencing a mental health disorder, accessible treatment options can be hard to find. A 2005 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that of 2.2 million adolescents who reported a major depressive episode in the past year, around 60% did not receive any treatment. Schools represent the (de-facto) front lines for youth mental healthcare provision (Rones & Hoagwood, 2000). A priority for School Mental Health has been in efforts to organize and integrate services into Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) (Adelman & Taylor, 2010). Building a comprehensive, differentiated system of supports ultimately ensures that the needs of all students are met.
Methods, Data Source, and Results
Mental Health and Social Outcomes: High School students (n= 171) receiving therapy completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at four separate time periods over the course of the 2016-2017 school year. Analyses revealed significant relationships between Time in treatment and: 1) Total Difficulties, 2) Internalizing Problems, and Externalizing Problems, with decreasing symptoms in all areas from beginning to end of treatment. During the 2017-2018 school year, high school students (n= 89) receiving therapy at Vida Clinic’s School Mental Health Centers completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Self-Report (BASC-3-SRP) at the beginning of therapeutic intervention and again 6 months later. Analyses revealed a significant overall decrease in anxiety, depression, social stress, somatization, mania, test anxiety, and overall emotional symptoms during time in treatment. Improvements in social functioning were also noted in BASC results. Analyses revealed a significant increase in self-esteem, self-reliance, ego strength (i.e., sense of self-identity and emotional competence), and overall personal adjustment.
School-Based Outcomes: District data was used to monitor progress for students (n=155) who received ongoing campus-based mental health services during the 2016-2017 school year. Compared to a control group, treatment group students demonstrated significantly better attendance and standardized testing scores, and significantly fewer substance use offenses and expulsions while receiving therapy. Similarly, the treatment group experienced a significant decrease aggression problems and school suspensions when compared to themselves in the year before entering into treatment.
Scholarly Significance
The information presented underscores that mental health care must be considered when working to improve individual student learning as well as school climate. Further, these results have implications for policy-makers as they work to address the issue of access to trauma-informed mental health care in school communities to promote safer schools.

Author

• Elizabeth Minne, Vida Clinic