Recent decades have seen a rise in mental health problems among children and adolescents. Despite a proliferation of studies describing effective school-based mental health programs, reviews of current research in this field suggest a strong lack of consensus concerning the definition of school mental health and its constructs. In the present…

Professionals working with immigrant and refugee youth in schools, mental health clinics, hospitals, and adolescent-serving organizations are better equipped to offer culturally appropriate interventions and prevention strategies if they understand their clients' migration journeys and legal status. Professionals who understand the cultural…

This training manual on emotional responses to disaster is designed for use by mental health professionals in the training of emergency medical teams whose job is to immediately respond to both large- and small-scale disasters. It is noted that members of these teams are usually not mental health professionals, but they must deal with a range of…

This article explores the essential relationship needs and capacities of infants, parents, practitioners, and supervisors in a story about reflective practice. The author shares her experience supervising a home visitor who is a trainee in an infant mental health intervention program. The home visitor's relationship with her supervisor was a…

This manual is intended to provide mental health professionals with the information needed in the evaluation and treatment of maltreated children and their families. An introductory chapter briefly considers the roles of the various mental health disciplines in child abuse intervention, including psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work,…

A national-level needs assessment of high school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses was conducted to identify training and educational resource material needs of these staff relevant to providing health and mental health services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning (GLBQ) youth. Systematic sampling procedures were…

Research on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and in particular, exposure with response prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), has only been systematically evaluated in children and adolescents ages 7-17. These treatments do not address the unique characteristics of young children with OCD. This paper discusses…

Supportive relationships, especially those with primary caregivers, are crucial for both the physical survival and the healthy social-emotional development of infants and toddlers. This guide, the first in a series on infant mental health from the Center for Program Excellence, describes how supportive relationships promote the social-emotional…

Community, demographic, familial, and personal risk factors of childhood depressive symptoms were examined from an ecological theoretical approach using hierarchical linear modeling. Individual-level data were collected from an ethnically diverse (73% African-American) community sample of 197 children and their parents; community-level data were…

Each year, Early Head Start (EHS) and migrant and seasonal Head Start grantees are invited to share their experiences in providing high-quality services for expectant parents and families with infants and toddlers. This report highlights how 10 Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start grantees respond to mental health needs of infants,…

Defines primary prevention in mental health as the building of health and competencies from an early age to prevent adverse psychological outcomes. Describes potential approaches to primary prevention for young children, such as early detection and intervention; helper therapy; mental health education; competence training; social system…

This book is intended to aid educators in understanding the phenomenon of suicidal behavior among youth and in developing programs for intervention within the school setting. The first section, aimed toward an understanding of the phenomenon, covers risk factors, history, current trends, research, the problem of contagion, three levels of…

This paper discusses the importance of preventive intervention in maintaining the mental health of children. Definitions of prevention are presented, with particular focus on primary prevention, i.e., the lowering of the rate of emotional disorders in a population. The importance of focusing on prevention in childhood is emphasized, and the…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) are committed to bringing effective substance abuse prevention and behavioral health promotion programs to every community in the Nation. As more knowledge is gained about efficacy and effectiveness of prevention and…

Family-school partnerships are increasingly touted as a means of improving both student and school improvement. This recognition has led to an increase in policies and initiatives that offer the following benefits: improved communication between parents and educators; home and school goals that are mutually supportive and shared; better…