PBIS is flexible enough support student, family, and community needs. With COVID-19 exacerbating the challenges children are facing, there is much more work to be done. See the table below for a list of states that have enacted laws to support these strategies. In addition to experiencing the human cost and social isolation brought upon by COVID-19, many children have lacked consistent time in classrooms.
- For example, about 284,000 California children and teens deal with major depression, and two-thirds of them do not receive treatment, according to state estimates.
- While the data suggesting no interaction is strong for gender, there are mixed findings for grade level differences in program effectiveness.
- Some of these therapeutic interventions are promoted as “evidence-based,” but academic impact is not evaluated whatsoever, and an emphasis on emotions might make it more difficult for students to focus on the task at hand.
- The assistance of Attitudes in Reverse (AIR), school administrators, and school counselors was essential for this research.
For example, a school might purchase Second Step, a social-emotional learning (SEL) program, which is delivered by a counselor to teachers or students and consists of activities such as writing down a goal and describing why emotions matter. Most commonly, these are distinctly packaged Tier 1 programs, delivered by school-employed professionals such as counselors, who also provide one-on-one or group counseling. Table 1 describes how programs and services might fit into this prevention-oriented structure.
Links and resources
One of the largest studies of universal interventions for prevention of depression was Beyondblue.72 This study showed that an Australian classroom CBT-based curriculum of 30 sessions delivered by teachers did not reduce levels of depressive symptoms in adolescents. The ultimate aim is to promote student wellbeing, prevent the development or worsening of mental health problems, and improve the effectiveness of education.45,46 Improved training and support of staff within schools in this role is a coherent and practical model that seems feasible and sustainable from a resource perspective and in view of the expanding literature about the model’s effectiveness. In many countries, school-employed personnel work mainly with students who have educational difficulties that result from emotional and behavioural issues, and might not have had training in complex psychiatric presentations. For example, because of funding and special education mandates, US school psychologists often spend much of their time undertaking routine psychological testing and eligibility assessments, rather than applying their broader consultative and intervention skills. Separation anxiety and oppositional defiant disorder are seen mainly in primary school children (aged 4–10 years), whereas generalised anxiety, conduct disorder, and depression are more common in secondary school students (aged 11–18 years).
We do this through our online Trauma ScreenTIME Schools Course and through our partnership with the State of Connecticut to bring evidence-based trauma interventions to schools (CBITS and Bounce Back). Our expert team can provide ongoing technical assistance and support to help schools and districts troubleshoot challenges and evaluate successes while implementing their school mental health plans. CONNECT IV helps Connecticut schools and districts assess current school mental health programming, develop and implement custom quality improvement plans, and evaluate their efforts over time.
Policy Research
Additionally, navigating the complexities of the health care system can lead to inadvertent delays in seeking treatment, which may prevent children from receiving the timely care they need . Moreover, engagement between schools and community organizations, including researchers, is a critical component of overall school health promotion efforts, such as the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.37,38 For example, Adam and colleagues35 examined the implementation of a “cultural change toolkit” to reduce burnout and mitigate turnover with nurses in the emergency department.35 A similar approach may be applicable in schools. In reporting implementation strategies, researchers should follow established guidelines for naming, defining, and specifying implementation strategies.32 For example, one strategy under the Adapt and Tailor to Context category in SISTER14 is to “test-drive and select practices” which involves supporting staff to try out various practices in small doses (e.g., at the Implementation phase) and then having them select the ones (i.e., at the Sustainment phase) that they find the most feasible and acceptable in the school context. An example implementation strategy relevant to the Exploration and Preparation phases is to collaboratively develop a needs assessment (e.g., with input from parents, teachers, related service providers, administrators, and researchers) to “assess for readiness and identify barriers and facilitators” (which falls under the Evaluative and Iterative Strategies category in SISTER) for the specific prevention or intervention program under consideration.
Funnel plot for outcomes collected greater than six months and less gambling than or equal to one-year post-intervention Funnel plot for outcomes collected greater than one-month and less than or equal to six-month post-intervention Funnel plot for outcomes collected less than or equal to one-month post-intervention
Our curriculum prepares students with the knowledge and skills to build a mental health foundation and reduce stigma. Are you interested in advocating for a healthier and more supportive mental health culture? Do you want to ensure that mental health is a priority within your school culture? Curating formal pathways for K-12 programming that support the mental well-being of students. Moving toward a set of well-developed and evidence-based curricular resources for digital media use will provide vital direction for the field. Which topics, messages, and approaches align with current research on digital life and adolescent mental health/well-being?