This descriptive study in the Cleveland (Ohio) public school system evaluated the impact of an intensive, school-based mental health program. Forty-two African American elementary school students were referred for school-based mental services due to overt behavioral problems. Children were evaluated for risk status across three domains: community, family, and individual child. Data collected included client demographic information, diagnostic assessment information, family history, standardized ratings of child emotional and behavioral functioning, and client satisfaction data. The study found that the community had higher ratings across significant risk factors than the broader surrounding community, that 83 percent of families lived in poverty above and beyond the high poverty levels of their neighborhoods, that less than 10 percent of families were intact, and that the mental health needs of the referred children were substantive. The intervention program emphasized family-focused interventions and parental collaboration. The program demonstrated that effective parental collaboration can be achieved through intensive outreach efforts using a school-based model. High levels of both parent and child satisfaction were achieved. (DB)