Here you will find general resources for improving school behavioral health policies and programs, as well as information and tools for specific issues: crisis response, minor consent, school discipline, and suicide prevention.
General Resources
Behavioral Health: Adolescent Provider Toolkit
The Behavioral Health: Adolescent Provider Toolkit was created by the Adolescent Health Working Group (AHWG). Developed by and for health care providers, it addresses common adolescent mental health and substance use issues. It is available for free download; hard-copies can be ordered for $15. AHWG also offers other resources.
Mental Health Planning and Evaluation Template (MHPET)
The Mental Health Planning and Evaluation Template (MHPET), created by the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, is a web-based tool for quality assessment and improvement (QAI) in school mental health programs. The template is available for free, but you will need to register with NASBHC to be able to access it.
NASP Toolkit: School-Based Mental Health
This toolkit, from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), contains all of the organization’s many resources on school-based mental health. The toolkit costs $15, and a complete table of contents can be seen here.
TeenScreen® Program: Mental Health Check-Ups for Youth
The TeenScreen National Center supports communities, primary care providers, and schools in implementing mental health screening programs. You can learn more about starting a school-based screening program here.
Using Coordinated School Health to Promote Mental Health for All Students
This white paper, from the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, defines the scope of mental health services in schools, highlights the growing body of literature finding a connection between health, mental health, and academic success, and presents Coordinated School Health as a sustainable way to promote mental health.
Virtual Toolbox for Mental Health in Schools
This toolbox, from the Center for Mental Health in Schools, contains a wide variety of resources for school mental health practitioners and educators. In addition to other resources, it provides strategies for embedding mental health into a comprehensive classroom and school-wide system for addressing barriers to learning and teaching.
Inattention and Hyperactivity and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth
This article, Healthier Students Are Better Learners by Charles E. Basch, includes a chapter on how disproportionate rates of inattention and hyperactivity among urban minority youth contribute to the achievement gap. It highlights the prevalence of the problem and outlines ways schools can help to address it.
Crisis Response
A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools
This guide, from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, provides information and tools for effectively managing school-based crises. The guide can be ordered for $26.95, but select resources are available for free.
Resources for Dealing with Traumatic Events in Schools
The Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine put together a list of resources that will help schools respond to a traumatic campus event.
School-Based PTSD Intervention
This article, describing a proven school-based intervention for reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is available for free through the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Minor Consent for Mental Health Services
Minor Consent Mental Health Rights in California (SB 543)
Senate Bill 543, signed by the Governor in October 2010, created a new minor consent mental health right in California. This table describes Health and Safety Code 124260, the minor consent law created by SB 543, and highlights the differences between Health and Safety 124260 and Family Code 6924, the existing minor consent mental health statute. Note that “Section 124260 of the Health and Safety Code shall not apply to the receipt of benefits under the Medi-Cal program,” meaning that if the minor’s mental health services are covered under EPSDT, the provider must get parent/guardian consent. Visit the National Center for Youth Law‘s website to learn more.
School Discipline
Out-of-School Suspension and Expulsion Policy Statement
This policy statement, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, makes recommendations on the administration of suspension and expulsion, and describes the role of pediatric providers in providing social, emotional, and mental health support. It also highlights aspects of expulsion and suspension that may jeopardize children’s health and safety, such as academic deterioration, student alienation, delinquency, crime, and substance abuse problems.
Suicide Prevention
LA County Youth Suicide Prevention Project
The Los Angeles County Youth Suicide Prevention Project provides school administrators, staff, parents, and students with up-to-date information about the prevention, intervention, and postvention of suicide among our youth. Their website offers a rich set of resources for providers, school staff, parents, and students.
Youth Suicide Prevention
This list of resources, compiled by the California Department of Education, provides school districts with youth suicide prevention resources, including the Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide.
