An alternate approach in delivering mental health service to school systems is introduced. Rooted in preventive and community based principles, it switches the emphasis to primary preventive interventions as well as examining environmental and social system influences on children's development and adjustment. (Author/PN)

While mental health services can be delivered through either traditional or community paradigms, most behaviorally oriented clinicians have implicitly or explicitly opted for the more traditional approach. This paper examines research which delineates conceptual limitations in subscribing to a traditional orientation. The community model…