School Mental Health in Systems of Care

Abstract

(from the chapter) A system of care is "a comprehensive spectrum of mental health and other necessary services which are organized into a coordinated network to meet the multiple and changing needs of severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents" (Stroul & Friedman, 1996, p. 3). Most discussions concerning systems of care have focused on individual service needs of the youth and their families or home-based services. Increasingly, however, mental health professionals and policymakers have focused on schools as a critical component of the system of care approach. This chapter suggests ways to think about school-based services from a system of care perspective. We first present six principles associated with the system of care approach and suggest ways in which mental health professionals working with and in schools might apply these principles to their work. We then provide an overview of the different types of services mental health clinicians might help provide within the school setting. As an example of a system of care approach, we then present a description of the school-based services provided within the Safe Schools, Healthy Students project in Baltimore City. We conclude this chapter by suggesting ways in which to fund the system of care approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)