Welcome to the National Center for School Mental Health

The mission of the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) is to strengthen policies and programs in school mental health to improve learning and promote success for America's youth.

From its inception in 1995, the Center's leadership and interdisciplinary staff has promoted the importance of providing mental health services to children, adolescents, and families directly in schools and communities.

2026 Advancing School Mental Health Conference

December 1-3, 2026 | Nashville, TN

Learn More: NCSMH Annual Conference

Announcements & Key Resources

From Crisis to Action: A Guide for State and Local Leaders on Youth Mental Health. Authored by Dr. Sharon Hoover, former NCSMH Co-Director, this resource provides practical strategies to build comprehensive school mental health systems, expand the provider workforce, and secure sustainable funding.

• From Crisis to Action: A Guide for State & Local Leaders on Youth Mental Health
• From Crisis to Action Webinar (Oct 14, 2025)
• From Crisis to Action Webinar Slides (Oct 14, 2025)

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Advancing Measurement-Based Care in School Mental Health. Authored by Drs. Elizabeth Connors and Sharon Hoover, this is part of a 10-paper series published by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).

Parents to Parents: After Your Child's Suicide Attempt. A video resource for parents from the Zero Suicide Institute and Parents to Parents.

Mental Health and Schools: Best Practices to Support Our Students - Implications for Policy, Systems, and Practices. From the Baker Center for Children and Families Evidence-Based Policy Institute.

Check out the School Mental Health Quality Guides!

Template Consent Form for Communication and Information Sharing Between School and Health Care Teams from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Maryland School Mental Health Transition Resources. The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health and the NCSMH piloted mental health transition resources.

Working Well Brief: Organizational Initiatives and Policies to Support Educator Well-Being. The NCSMH collaborated with the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) on this educator well-being brief.

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Get into SHAPE! Register with the SHAPE system to improve the quality of your school mental health system & learn about SHAPE's built-in school mental health assessments! Register | The SHAPE System | SHAPE's Mental Health Assessments