School of Mental Health: Quality Care and Positive Outcome

摘要

Expanded school mental health programs offer a comprehensive range of mentalhealth services (evaluation, therapy, case management) to youth in regular and special education. Research is needed to document that these programs are in fact providing quality care to youth and leading to enhanced outcomes. The primary purpose of the current pilot study was to systematically evaluate the effects of innovative mental health treatment (e.g., strategies to enhance resilience, improve culturally competent care) delivered in school-based mental health programs. A secondary purpose was to develop quality of care measures relevant to older children and adolescents. The effects of student factors (age, gender), treatment factors (duration of treatment), risk factors (parent and student perceptions of problem severity, number of treatment goals), protective factors (commitment to treatment), and student ratings of clinician's relationship skills (warmth, caring) were assessed. Results revealed that the youth presenting to school-based services demonstrated considerable need for mental health services, showing marked functional impairment based on a global clinical evaluation.