School Mental Health Services

The mission of the Center for School Mental Health (CSMH) is to strengthen policies and programs in school mental health to improve learning and promote success for America's youth. From its inception in 1995, the Center's leadership and interdisciplinary staff has promoted the importance of providing mental health services to children, adolescents, and families directly in schools and communities.

We continue to advance evidence-based care in schools (from preschool to college; P-16) and collaborate at local, state, national, and international levels to advance research, training, policy, and practice in school mental health. The CSMH is committed to promoting success for all students through a shared family - school - community agenda and co-facilitates the National Community of Practice on Collaborative School Behavioral Health.

We collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders invested in integrated approaches to reduce barriers to student learning:

• youth and families
• educators, health, and mental health providers
• researchers
• child serving agency staff
• advocates
• administrators and policymakers
• community partners

New Resources

• Are the Children Well? A Model and Recommendations for Promoting the Mental Wellness of the Nation's Young People Child Trends and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently published the report Are the Children Well? which reviews the economic costs of mental illness amongst young people as well as the barriers to accessing mental health services and recent policy changes to increase access.
• Creating Emotionally Safe Learning Environments The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) has a website that contains information about the Center's training and technical assistance, products and tools, and the latest research findings.
• The Impact of School-Connected Behavioral and Emotional Health Interventions on Student Academic Performance provides a systematic review of the current literature (2001-2013) that summarizes research findings linking prevention-focused behavioral health interventions (e.g., social and emotional learning programs) with student academic outcomes (e.g., absenteeism, bullying, problem behaviors).
• Advancing Education Effectiveness Using the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF), this monograph articulates collective efforts to improve the quality of life and outcomes for children and youth...
• BestColleges.com recently created a guide that takes a deeper look at the five important mental health issues that college students face, approaching each in terms of understanding symptoms, recognizing the signs of illness in yourself and others, and how to best get help.