Abstract
Children's mental health needs continue to be largely unmet, even when community services are provided. On-site mental health services in schools address unmet needs by improving access to, and relevance of services. As schools have increasingly been mandated to serve the needs of all children (including those who are emotionally disturbed) general health and mental health services have been increasingly placed in them. Although the provision of basic health care in schools began in the early part of the century, the concept of providing comprehensive services, in which mental health services are integrated into primary medical care, has only been implemented recently. We review the background of school-based mental health services, compare various models of service delivery, and highlight issues important to the future development and advancement of these services.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adelman, H.S., & Taylor, L. (1991). Early school adjustment problems: Some perspectives and a project report.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61, 468–474.
Adelman, H.S., & Taylor, L. (1993). School-based mental health: Toward a comprehensive approach.Journal of Mental Health Administration, 20, 32–45.
Barnett, S., Niebuhr, V., Baldwin, C., & Levine, H. (1992). Community-oriented primary care: A process for school health intervention.Journal of School Health, 62, 246–248.
Blum, R. (1987). Contemporary threats to adolescent health in the United States.Journal of the American Medical Association, 257, 3390–3395.
Butler, J.A. (1988).National special education programs as a vehicle for financing mental health services for children and youth. Paper presented at the workshop, The Financing of Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents, National Institute of Mental Health, Washington, DC.
Center for Population Options (1993). Unpublished survey of school-based and school-linked clinics.
Conoley, J.C. & Conoley, C.W. (1991). Collaboration for child adjustment: Issues for school- and clinic-based child psychologists.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 821–829.
Dolan, L.J. (1992).Models for integrating human services into the school (Tech. Rep. No. 30). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Students.
Dryfoos, J. (1988). School-based health clinics: Three years of experience.Family Planning Perspectives, 20(4), 193–200.
Feroli, K.L., Hobson, S.K., Miola, E.S., Scott, P.N., & Waterfield, G.D. (1992). School-based clinics: The Baltimore experience.Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 6, 127–131.
Hyche-Williams, J., & Waszak, C. (1990).School-based clinics: 1990. Washington, DC: Center for Population Options.
Kirby, D., Waszak, C., & Ziegler, J. (1991). Six school-based clinics: Their reproductive health services and impact on sexual behavior.Family Planning Perspectives, 23, 6–16.
Lavoritano, J., & Segal, P.B. (1992). Evaluating the efficiency of a school counseling program.Psychology in the Schools, 29, 61–70.
Lear, J.G., Gleicher, H.B., St. Germaine, A., & Porter, P.J. (1991). Reorganizing health care for adolescents: The experience of the school-based adolescent health care program.Journal of Adolescent Health, 12, 450–458.
Office of Technology Assessment (1986).Children's Mental Health: Problems and Services—A Background Paper. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Office of Technology Assessment (1991).Adolescent Health. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Porter, P., Avery, E., & Fellows, J. (1974). A model for the reorganization of child health services within an urban community.American Journal of Public Health, 64, 718–719.
Puskar, K., Lamb, J., & Norton, M. (1990). Adolescent mental health: Collaboration among psychiatric mental health nurses and school nurses.Journal of School Health, 60, 231–234.
Rhodes, J.E., & Jason, L.A. (1988).Preventing substance abuse among children and adolescents. New York: Pergamon Press.
Ritter, D.R. (1989). Teachers' perceptions of problem behavior in general and special education.Exceptional Children, 55, 559–564.
Singer, J.D., & Butler, J.A. (1987). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act: Schools as agents for social reform.Harvard Educational Review, 57 (2).
Thomas, A. (1987). School psychologist: An integral member of the school health team.Journal of School Health, 57, 465–468.
Thomas, P.A., & Texidor, M.S. (1987). The school counselor and holistic health.Journal of School Health, 57, 461–463. Thomas, A. (1987). School psychologist: An integral member of the school health team.Journal of School Health, 57, 465–468.
Tingstrom, D.H., Little, S.G., & Stewart, K.J. (1990). School consultation from a social psychological perspective: A review.Psychology in the Schools, 27, 41–5.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1990).National Plan for Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Mental Health, Rockville, Maryland.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1994).School-based clinics that work. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public health Service, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Rockville, MD.
Weist, M.D., Paskewitz, D.A., Warner, B.S., & Flaherty, L.T. (in press). Treatment outcome of school-based mental health services for urban teenagers.Community Mental Health Journal.
Weist, M.D., Proescher, E.L., Freedman, A.H., Paskewitz, D.A., & Flaherty, L.T. (in press). School-based health services for urban adolescents: Psychosocial characteristics of clinic users versus nonusers.Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Flaherty, L.T., Weist, M.D. & Warner, B.S. School-based mental health services in the united states: History, current models and needs. Community Ment Health J 32, 341–352 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249452
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249452