The authors examined changes in mental health services and violence prevention strategies in public high schools since the shootings at Columbine High School. Surveys were mailed to school mental health professionals at public high schools in Colorado. Respondents included school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, principals,…

Mentally ill offenders represent a substantial proportion of jail and prison inmates. Despite the fact that confining mentally ill offenders can and often will exacerbate their mental illness, the quality of mental health services available to them remains poor and insufficient. Up to date, only a few cities and counties have considered a more…

The article by Fantuzzo, McWayne, and Bulotsky (2003), presenting their conceptualization of a paradigm for conducting applied research in children's mental health, is an intriguing fusion of key principles and recommendations. Their model comes close to meeting the profile of a new research paradigm in children's mental health. The author…

Ringeisen, Henderson, and Hoagwood (2003) present a compelling case that: (a) there is a gap between mental health research and the delivery of mental health services in school settings; (b) in order to bridge this gap, mental health professionals must consider contextual factors at the individual, organization, and state/federal policy levels;…

The demand for mental health services in higher education settings continues to increase and places more pressure on staff, highlighting further the importance of good staff morale in these agencies. This task of bolstering staff morale is often placed primarily on the shoulders of counseling center directors. The present article outlines several…

Objective: The national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists has prompted efforts to improve recruitment. It is uncertain whether these efforts will be sufficient to address this shortage and its impact on youth mental health services. Method: Data were compared from 1990 to 2001 by state, county characteristics, number of youths, and…

Objectives: To present a framework for classifying research-practice gaps to increase clarity in the discourse on evidence-informed practice and policy as it applies to child mental health. Method: The development of the framework was informed by the research literature about the effectiveness of clinic- and community-based interventions for the…

The Head Start Health Coordinator's Task Force (HCTF) was charged to study and make recommendations to strengthen Head Start's health component, which is a vital part of the child development program. Since its inception in 1965, Head Start has served over 12 million economically disadvantaged children. Through the health component, children have…

Due to the efforts of mental health consumer and advocacy organizations, there now exists a legislated community-based mental health policy for the treatment of children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and their families. But the implementation of this policy has not met the intended legislative standards. Accordingly, this…

The Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs is considering legislation to improve mental health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. This report is in response to the Committee's request for information on the mental health needs of Indian adolescents and the services available to them. The section on mental health problems among…

This paper describes an ongoing effort by an interdisciplinary team from a large urban university to extend and improve the mental health services in a 23-county rural area. The model is presented as the collaboration of professionals from different geographic and working environments with different professional expectations and goals. Aspects of…

This paper proposes that local public schools assume the locus of responsibility for providing comprehensive health and mental health services for children and their families. Among the advantages of school based delivery systems are the universality of public education, the availability of physical and human resources, established funding…

THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER 1963 AT MADISON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND CROTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THE PROGRAM WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO BROAD CATEGORIES--PREVENTIVE SERVICE AND DIRECT SERVICE. THE PREVENTIVE SERVICES FOCUSSED INTERPRETATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH INSERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS, GROUP…

Reviewing the research findings and issues which have been generated around the topic of Mexican American underutilization of mental health services, this paper discusses five major concepts: (1) the epidemiological paradox of Mexican American underutilization of services; (2) explanation offered for the paradox; (3) elaboration on the explanation…

Community mental health center services must be most plentiful where the need is greatest and must be appropriate and available to meet these needs. The first high priority group, according to statistics on juvenile delinquency, and narcotics, is the black inner city. Socio-psychiatric services, numerous enough in quantity to begin to meet needs…