School-based mental health programs (SBMHP) are vital to providing youth access to mental health services. This study aims to characterize changes in therapy encounters and psychotropic medication prescriptions in an urban SBMHP during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used electronic medical records to extract demographic, clinical, and utilization data…

As students present to school with mental health needs, the role of schools has evolved to include the provision of school-based mental health services delivered across a continuum or multitiered system of supports. Within this framework of services, students can receive intensive mental health services at the Tier 3 level. School-based mental…

Research has consistently demonstrated the benefits of school mental health (SMH) services on the well-being of students. Administrators play an important role in the implementation and sustainability of SMH services within a school. However, school principals' perspectives regarding their role in SMH implementation are underrepresented in…

Public schools are a major provider of mental health services for children in the US. Mental and behavioral health services range from universal programming to individualized clinical supports to address student needs. These services in schools are delivered by various professionals including non-teaching and teaching school personnel,…

The purpose of this special series is to highlight how the measurement of integrity, both treatment integrity and integrity for implementation strategies, can support intervention development, evaluation, and implementation research. The seven papers and one commentary in this special series illustrate how diverse measurement approaches are used…

Schools have become primary providers of mental health services for children and adolescents (Kern et al. in School Mental Health 9:205-217, 2017). Within schools, school principals play a significant role in the implementation of school-based mental health (SBMH; Langley et al. in School Mental Health 2:105-113, 2010). This multimethod study…

Lack of training for school clinicians in evidence-based practices (EBPs) contributes to underutilization of such services for youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Advances in web-based technology and videoconferencing have allowed for expanded access to and optimization of training. We describe the development and outcomes…

Bridging Mental Health and Education (BRIDGE) is an evidence-based model for embedding teacher consultation and coaching activities into school-based mental health clinicians' regular workflow. Here we describe the process of adapting BRIDGE in partnership with a large urban school district and a local managed care organization during a…

Student anxiety is less frequently identified and treated in school settings relative to other mental health concerns (e.g., externalizing behavior problems). Considering the perspectives of school-based mental health providers is critical for improving supports for students with anxiety in schools. The present study examined patterns and…

Implementing targeted (Tier 2) interventions for youth at risk of developing behavioral health concerns is critical for a comprehensive approach to school mental health. Given challenges in school-based implementation of targeted interventions, identifying factors associated with their implementation may contribute to a better understanding of…

Mental health concerns are on the rise among youth, contributing to a growing need for school-based mental health services. However, challenges to service provision arise due, in part, to workforce shortages, service fragmentation, and inefficient allocation of staff time. The current study describes the professional competencies and time…

This study examined principal perspectives on barriers and strengths or assets associated with the delivery of school mental health services in their school and considered whether the common determinants that principals identify vary by geographic locales (i.e., city, suburban, town, and rural). Participants were 638 principals from across the…

The supply of school mental health (SMH) providers and services cannot meet the demand of students in-need, and this gap is expected to widen in coming years. One way to increase the reach of helpful services for youth is to grow the SMH workforce through task-shifting to paraprofessionals. Task-shifting could be especially promising in expanding…

Children in rural settings are less likely to receive mental health services than their urban and suburban counterparts and even less likely to receive evidence-based care. Rural schools could address the need for mental health interventions by using evidence-based practices within a tiered system of supports such as positive behavioral…

The purpose of this paper is to determine how youth with anxiety recruited for a school-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) compare demographically and clinically to clinically referred youth with anxiety who participated in an RCT conducted in community mental health clinics. Youth ("N" = 99) with anxiety aged 12-15 years were: (a)…