Collaboration and Teamwork: Implementing Universal Screening to Meet Student Mental Health Needs

• In Event: Breaking Silos: Using Collaboration to Improve Student Mental Health Outcomes and Create Equitable Education Systems

Abstract

Background: Universal screening (US) is commonplace in K-12 public education, as students are screened to identify deficits in literacy, numeracy, vision, and hearing (Lane et al., 2012) and more recently mental health (Oakes et al., 2017). Specifically, universal screening is the preventative, systematic, and standardized process of assessing every student for pre-determined criteria (e.g., social-emotional and behavioral functioning, mental health, etc.), with the aim of providing early identification and intervention to identified students (Albers & Kettler, 2014). Universal screening increases the likelihood of early identification of youth with internalizing behaviors (Weist et al., 2018). Intervention science suggests that identification of individuals at early onset or at an early age is an effective practice to ensure healthy academic, emotional, and behavioral development. While universal mental health screening has been recommended for over a decade by a plethora of organizations (NCSMH, 2020) to identify mental health and behavioral concerns, there lacks research that engages school stakeholder voice related to the process and outcomes of US. This paper will examine trends in universal mental health screening in K-12 schools, investigating the experiences of a range of stakeholders.

Methods: Researchers conducted an exploratory, phenomenological investigation of school staff’s lived experiences related to implementing universal mental health screening in K-12 schools. Phenomenological research is often used to describe the essence of the lived experiences of a phenomenon, according to one sample of participants (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Flynn & Korcuska, 2018; Moustakas, 1994). We aimed to capture the what and how of the given phenomenon particular to a sample of school staff, utilizing Creswell and Poth’s (2018) steps to a phenomenological study, derived from Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental approach.

Results: Initial qualitative results from the initial coding indicate themes related to the importance of the prevention and potential use of US as an advocacy tool for students, school, and services (e.g., reducing stigma of mental health; advocate for ratios; paradigm shifts; SEL-whole child). Additionally, collaboration among stakeholders was a theme that ran across implementation, from the initial planning to post screening response. Participants indicated a benefit of US was breaking down silos between school based mental health professionals and other stakeholders to share the workload that enhanced communication and collaboration with community partners.

Significance: This paper will outline the experiences of a variety of stakeholders in the implementation of US, outlining the systematic processes used to identify students at risk in the areas of atypical behavioral and emotional concerns (e.g., mental health concerns). Building capacity in school staff to identify and intervene with students at an early age will make a lasting impact on students’ lifelong mental health. Finally, US has the potential to ensure schools are safe places for achievement and personal growth for every student.

Authors

• Jennifer Betters-Bubon, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

• Emily C. Goodman-Scott, Old Dominion University

• Peg Donohue, Central Connecticut State University