Working Collaboratively to Enhance Mental Health in Schools and Increase Student Achievement

February 28, 2008 - Why is mental health in schools important?  According to a new publication released by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) National Center for Mental Health in Schools, 1) mental health services made available through schools help assess and meet the needs of students and their families; and 2) addressing psychosocial and mental and physical health concerns is essential to the academic performance of some students. 

“Mental Health in Schools and School Improvement: Current Status, Concerns, & New Directions” shows that advancing mental health in schools does not only mean expanding services in schools; it also involves becoming part of a comprehensive, multifaceted systemic approach that strengthens students, families, schools, and communities which in turn maximizes learning, caring, and well-being. 

However, addressing mental health issues in schools is not an easy task.  This publication highlights some barriers that arise when trying to advance the importance of mental health in schools.  For instance, most school policymakers do not disagree with the idea that healthier students learn better, but current school accountability pressures concentrate on teaching practices in an effort to raise test scores. 

According to the publication, those who want to enhance mental health in schools must accept the reality that schools are not in the mental health business.  Then, they must develop an understanding of what it takes to implement mental health programs in schools and show potential stakeholders that proposed approaches will help improve schools, reduce drop-out rates, close the achievement gap, and address racial, ethnic, disability, and socio-economic disparities. 

To be successful, the publication emphasizes the need to utilize a comprehensive and systemic approach that will bring together school, community, and family resources. 

Ways to Work Collaboratively

In order to establish effective mental health programs within schools, it is of utmost importance that they be conducted through a coordinated effort, in which policymakers, students, families, and communities are involved in each step of the process.  Another recent publication, “Working Collaboratively: From School-Based Teams to School-Community-Higher Education Connections”, released by UCLA’s National Center for Mental Health in Schools shows exactly that.  

The publication provides guidance on what makes such collaborative efforts successful and the barriers that arise when trying to undertake collaborative approaches.  It also presents an introduction to the nature and scope of working collaboratively at various levels of intervention. 

Specifically, the publication focuses on clarifying that:

• Collaboration is a process for carrying out delineated functions;
• Accomplishing different functions often require different mechanisms or structure;
• Data can help enhance collaboration; and
• Sustaining collaborative endeavors over time requires systemic change.

To learn more about how mental health programs in schools fit into a coordinated approach, please visit the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health webpage on Coordinated School Health Programs.  

For additional information on the UCLA publications, please contact:

UCLA’s Center for Mental Health in Schools
School Mental Health Project
Dept. of Psychology, UCLA
PO Box 951563
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
Phone: (310) 825-3634
Fax: (310) 206-8716
Email: smhp@ucla.edu 

Sources: “Mental Health in Schools and School Improvement: Current Status, Concerns, & New Directions,” UCLA’s Center for Mental Health in Schools, 2008; and “Working Collaboratively: From School-Based Teams to School-Community-Higher Education Connections,” UCLA’s Center for Mental Health in Schools, 2008.