School Mental Health Quality Guides

Teaming

A school mental health team is a group of school and community stakeholders at the school or district level that meets regularly, uses data-based decision making, and relies on action planning to support student mental health.

Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping

Needs assessment is a process used by a system such as a school, district, or agency to identify strengths and gaps, clarify priorities, inform quality improvement, and advance action planning. 

Resource mapping is a process to identify, visually represent, and share information about internal and external supports and services to inform effective utilization of assets. In school mental health, resources in schools and the surrounding community can be mapped across a multi-tiered system of support to better address the needs of the whole child.

Screening

School mental health screening involves the use of a systematic tool or process to identify the strengths and needs of students. Screening is conducted for all students, not just students identified as being at risk for or already displaying mental health concerns. This may involve screening an entire population, such as a school’s student body, or a smaller subset of a population, such as a specific grade level.

Mental Health Promotion Services & Supports (Tier 1)

Mental health promotion (Tier 1) services and supports are mental health-related activities that are designed to meet the needs of all students regardless of their level of risk for mental health concerns.

Early Intervention & Treatment Services & Supports (Tiers 2 & 3)

Early intervention (Tier 2) services and supports address the needs of students who are experiencing mild distress, functional impairment, or are at risk for developing specific mental health concerns. 

Treatment (Tier 3) services and supports to address mental health concerns are provided for students who are already experiencing significant distress and functional impairment.

Funding and Sustainability

In order to maintain long-term programming, school mental health systems depend on reliable funding to cover costs. Because funding streams are regularly changing, states, districts, and schools must develop strategies that account for economic and political shifts.

In addition to reliable funding, comprehensive school mental health systems must also focus on other components of sustainability to ensure that operational structures are sound, and that the system can respond to the changing needs of students, families, schools, and communities.

Impact

Impact refers to the long-term effects or changes that occur as a result of the programs, practices, and/or policies implemented within a comprehensive school mental health system.