To promote improved student outcomes, school mental health providers (SMHPs) monitor implementation fidelity when implementing evidence-based interventions. Current approaches for implementation fidelity monitoring (e.g., intervention checklists) do not account for other relevant implementation indicators best captured through qualitative data.…

It is important to address the concept of parental involvement in school-based mental health counseling in order to address the presence of mental health issues in students. In school-based mental health services, enlisting parent engagement in adolescent interventions can be difficult and can, therefore, inhibit positive adolescent mental health…

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are increasingly used in clinical and school settings to promote psychological and social-emotional well-being among youth. However, the precise role of youth-animal relationships in shaping developmental trajectories is understudied. Research is needed to expand human-centric models of child development,…

Research has indicated that individuals who have died from the COVID-19 virus will likely leave behind several grieving family members. For every person who dies of COVID-19, it was estimated that they would leave behind 2.2 children and 4.1 grandchildren (Albuquerque & Santos, 2021). The death of a parent or other loved one is often noted as…

The prevalence of mental health issues among youth, with nearly half meeting diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder and suicide being a leading cause of death, underscores the urgency for effective intervention (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). Summer camps, hosting millions of children annually, are urged by the American Camp…

Children spend more time in school than in any other formal setting and, with mental illness in children on the rise, there is more pressure on schools to intervene in student mental health than ever before. In the current study, two phases of semistructured interviews were conducted with school leaders and special educational needs coordinators…

Poor mental health in childhood and adolescence has a significant impact on both physical and mental health throughout life. However, growing evidence suggests that current levels of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) care are insufficient to meet the needs of many children and adolescents in the United States as evidenced by increasing…

Student Veterans experience a range of health and mental health challenges that may impact their social and academic functioning as they transition from military to student life. Of those in need of treatment, some do not receive support for successful integration into collegiate life. Recognizing the barriers to care faced by this population, a…

College-level students experience various life stressors that impact them academically, mentally, and physically. They struggle to navigate through those stressors; however, campus counseling services are underutilized. (Laidlaw et al., 2016). The central purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to understand college-level students' perception…

Schools may be well-placed to identify signs of mental health (MH) problems in children; however, there has been little research into how school-based screening and intervention initiatives should be delivered. One-to-one in-depth interviews were carried out with 15 practitioners that support children's MH within primary school settings. Data were…

Introduction: Caregivers of autistic children and caregivers of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) experience considerable stress. However, what is unique or similar across these groups remains understudied. This study explored how female caregivers of children with FASD who registered to participate in a caregiver focused mental…

Comprehensive programmes to help reduce substance misuse/mental illness in youth should combine Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). EMPATHY, an SBIRT programme, was part of a school-based prevention initiative to reduce symptoms of substance misuse in youth in Grades 6-12, along with reducing symptoms of depression,…

This exploratory study surveyed school mental health providers across the United States to examine their perception of the facilitators and the barriers to evidence-based professional practice (EBPP) when offering mental health services to students in schools and to identify any group differences of these perceptions. A national sample of school…

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a spotlight on telehealth as a mechanism for programs and professionals who provide direct services to young children and families to be able to continue essential supports and services. Providers, agencies, and insurance companies had to rapidly evolve in order to reach families and other caregivers in new ways. This…

The focus of this report is on mental health interventions delivered in K-12 neighborhood public schools. A vast array of commercially available programs, conceptual frameworks, and approaches to school-based mental health are not unanimously recommended, applied, or agreed upon. This poses a challenge to any comprehensive description or…