School-Based Mental Health on a United States Army Installation

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe the Solomon Wellness for Education Program, a school mental health program being developed on a military base in Hawaii. We describe a range of services being developed in the school along with plans for assessing and improving program quality and for evaluating program outcomes. We then discuss unique issues the program is confronting related to the events of September 11, 2001. The chapter concludes with a discussion of challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the advancement of school-based mental health programs in U.S. schools with largely military populations, and Department of Defense schools abroad. To date, there has been an overall enthusiastic acceptance by students, parents, and school staff. Because of the demand for services, it has been a challenge switching from the old model of school consultation to an approach that integrates a more comprehensive array of services into the fabric of the school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)