Providing Mental Health Services in Public Schools

Introduction

As school professionals become increasingly aware of mental health problems in the student population, they are grappling with the appropriate role of the school in the provision of services to these students. Many recognize that schools are in the “education business,” not the “mental health business,” yet school counsellors, social workers, nurses and psychologists all play a role in assisting these students. It may be unclear, at times, whether these services are educational in nature, or whether they constitute direct mental health treatment. This article provides an overview of different methods of providing mental health services within the school setting, and makes the argument that schools should “stay out of the mental health business” of diagnosis and treatment, but should collaborate with other systems to assure that students have access to services that result in educational gains as well as cost savings to the school districts.

The 2001 Surgeon General’s Report on Children’s Mental Health indicated that approximately 20 percent of children and adolescents have an emotional disorder, and that 5 percent have a severe mental health disorder. The report also noted that only one out of five students who have emotional disorders receives any treatment. If treatment occurs, it is most likely to be provided by a primary care physician rather than a mental health professional. Thus, in the average American classroom, there will be at least one student with a significant mental health impairment such as depression or other mood disorders, an anxiety disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or even a psychotic disorder, and the student will most likely not be receiving mental health services.