Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) show promise in improving access to mental health care for college students suffering from depression and anxiety symptoms. Nonetheless, the usefulness of DMHIs is limited by high user attrition. Leveraging peer support among college populations may be a feasible and cost-effective option to improve DMHI…

The rise of mental health challenges in higher education is increasingly impacting students, faculty, and staff, affecting academic success, job satisfaction, and the overall campus climate. Mental health supports are essential for fostering a thriving educational environment in higher education, benefiting students, faculty, and staff alike. As…

Early childhood disruptive behaviors are common mental health problems among American youth, and if poorly-managed, pose costly psychological and societal burdens. Outcomes accountability systems in clinical practice are vital opportunities to optimize early intervention for common mental health problems; however, such systems seem rare. A scoping…

Background: Youth mental health rates of depression and anxiety continue to climb. Schools have a role to play to support youth mental health but often struggle to navigate community expectations. Methods: Focus groups (n = 17) were conducted with over 100 participants to understand community perceptions on the role of schools. Results: Three…

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…

This study tested an integrated package for high-quality school mental health (SMH) services involving quality assessment and improvement, family engagement and empowerment, modular evidence-based practice, and implementation support. Within a two-year randomized controlled trial, 35 clinicians, who provided services to 529 students and their…

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…

The Policy-Advocacy-Leadership (PAL) column is developed to initiate and facilitate important dialogue about health care and educational policy, and develop and share the knowledge, tools, and resources that enable all of us to be effective advocates for our clients and our practice and leaders in our practice settings and profession. In this…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 16 member states and territories work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for their citizens. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions to social, economic, and…

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 15 member states work to improve access to higher education and ensure student success. Their student exchange programs, regional initiatives, and research and policy work allow them to assist constituents throughout the West and beyond. In fiscal 2013 WICHE's four units--Programs…

"When will they ever learn?" is the refrain of a Pete Seeger song from the '60s. It could also stand as one of the primary questions in higher education today. It's a question that the educators who teach in institutions, and the businesspeople who hire those institutions' graduates, are asking about students: When will they learn what…

Public higher education has faced a crisis of massive proportions in the first decade of this millennium. Nevertheless, for higher education, this year represents a turning point and, yes, an opportunity. The opportunity, then, for the West is one that generations of Americans are familiar with: to do more with less. Dealing with scarcity--whether…

If there's one quality that WICHE's home region, the West, is famous for, it's endurance in the face of crisis. And if there's another, it's the ability to find--and make--opportunities even in tough times. Over the last fiscal year, WICHE has done just that. The organization has been highly successful in terms of developing new projects and…

Where mental health administrators used to rely on subjective judgments of senior clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services, they now rely more on a quality assurance (QA) plan. The primary motive for undertaking a QA program should be better service. QA may start out being very expensive in terms of personnel and…

Oversight is defined in a broad manner, encompassing a wide variety of mechanisms within the mental health field. Implications for mental health practice brought out by these descriptions of mechanisms are discussed to illustrate the utility of them in better understanding oversight practices. (Author/LMO)