Mediating Mental Health Diagnoses in Schools Settings

Abstract

Abstract Given that schools and districts play crucial roles in the network of institutions and providers that make up the mental health services ecology, the aim of this chapter is threefold. After providing a brief overview of children’s mental health needs and access to appropriate services, the chapter describes the conditions and resources that shape how youth mental health is managed and mediated in school settings. The chapter discusses the ways in which schools and districts operate as unique sites of mental health service delivery. It suggests that the mediation of mental health diagnoses in schools will be optimized through (a) recognition that schools and districts are part of a larger network of mental health care for youth in a given locality, (b) attention to variation in mental health need and burden within and across schools and districts, (c) anticipation of routine barriers to service delivery, (d) balanced programming across multitiered systems of support, and (e) a robust focus on caregiver engagement and involvement. Finally, the chapter offers tools and strategies to facilitate these domains of mediation.