Many young undocumented students are experiencing mental health issues in K-12 schools. Researchers have found a myriad of psychological stressors that add to the complexity of being an undocumented student in the United States. Educators have noted an increased concern in undocumented students expressing concerns of fears at school, acculturation…

This dissertation aims to elucidate that current school-based mental health services need a more LGBTQI+ affirmative stance to counter and disrupt the heteronormativity, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia that LGBTQI+ students regularly encounter at school. Many LGBTQI+ students continue to be harassed, bullied, and discriminated against;…

The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of research on the implementation of trauma-informed practices published in leading journals within the field of school psychology and within the auxiliary school-based mental health fields of social work and school counseling. The intention is to identify whether a call to action is…

This study explored the associations among first-generation, Mexican-American, community college students' mental health services, social capital, resiliency, and their levels of reported college satisfaction. One hundred and five self-identified first-generation, Mexican-American or Chicanx, or Latinx with Mexican origins community college…

Latinos who qualify for Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) and currently attend institutions of higher education are a unique subset of this population in the United States. The current literature focuses on all Latino DACA whether in or out of college, recipients' experiences of discrimination and its impact on their mental health, and…

College students who have experienced mental health issues are at a higher risk for suicide and suicide ideation than students who do not suffer from mental health issues. Approximately 1,100 college students die by suicide in the U.S. annually (Furr et al., 2001; Taliaferro & Muehlenkamp, 2015). Although there are research studies that seek…

Although there is a great need for school-based mental health services (SBMH), these needs are not adequately met in California's public schools. To meet these needs better, evidence-based methods have been used, including multi-tiered systems of support, training and workforce development, cultural competence, and family and youth engagement and…

Mental health care in the United States is both important and expensive. In many instances, those with the least amount of access to quality mental health care services also face other social inequities. The government has addressed this issue in a myriad of ways, some effective, others not. The outpatient development model creates a barrier to…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a content-based workshop on public school special education team members knowledge and perceptions towards the identification of students with mental health challenges. Participants were professional public school employees from a public school district in southeastern Massachusetts.…

Background: Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) aim to support the unique needs of students in recovery, promote academic success, and facilitate psychosocial development (i.e. coping, self-efficacy, differentiation of self, self-acceptance, and quality of life). Strategies used to achieve these goals vary considerably based on the culture of the…

Background: Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America, affecting millions of children from early childhood to adolescence. Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades (CDC, 2016b). Additionally, the obesity epidemic is reaching our nation's youngest children; it was recently reported that over 20% of 2- to 5-year-old…

Approximately one-quarter of the American population are affected by their own mental illness each year (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2013). Of those who take part in counseling, one-third to one-half do not see treatment gains and approximately 50% leave counseling prematurely (Duncan, Miller & Hubble, 2007). Research examining…

Adolescent students with psychiatric disorders who are educated in day treatment school classrooms manifest cognitive limitations, maladaptive behaviors, and social functioning deficits that often lead to academic failure, impeding their productivity when they become adults and causing them to run afoul of the criminal justice system. Informed by…

This dissertation examined community college transfer students' perceptions of how mental health concerns interfere with academics, the ability to stay in school, graduate, and transfer to a 4-year university. The study also examined if community college transfer students perceive that mental health counseling improves their ability to stay in…

Approximately 20% of youth in the U.S. are experiencing a mental health challenge; a rate that is said to increase by more than 50% by 2020. Schools are the largest provider of mental health services to youth, yet two of schools' most efficacious evidence-based systems, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and school mental health…