Conversations with school superintendents, board members, principals, teachers, counselors, and nurses about their students' social and emotional health show how actively they are working to help students confront difficult issues. Topping the list of issues are drug and alcohol use and abuse, depression, and violence among students. Equally important to school directors, administrators, and staff is developing competent young people who are socially and emotionally healthy and can build positive relationships and resolve conflicts peacefully. One resource and support for schools, students, and their families are Student Assistance Programs (SAPs), found in schools and communities across the nation. SAPs link students to the behavioral health care system. Proponents who argue for behavioral health education, programs, and services in schools focus on the gap between child and adolescent behavioral health needs, and children's utilization of these services. Although reported statistics vary, it is generally agreed that as many as 80 percent of youth in need of behavioral health services may not receive them (U.S. Surgeon General 2001; Ringel and Sturm 2001). SAPs address this chasm between students and the behavioral health care system by making connections critical to linking students with the resources they need, as well as developing new resources to meet unfilled needs. In this article, the authors discuss the four-phase SAP process, student outcomes, and benefits of SAPs for teachers, nurses, principals, counselors, and other frontline staff who spend their days in schools and communities working with youth. The article then focuses on four lessons learned from Student Assistance Programs that are instructional to schools and communities in addressing students' social, emotional, and mental health. (Contains 2 figures and 5 resources.)