| The Surgeon General defines “Mental Health” as “The successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, the ability to adapt change and to cope with adversity; …from early childhood until late in life, mental health is the springboard of thinking and communication skills, learning, emotional growth, resilience, and self-esteem.”
The effect of mental health on school success and achievement is well-documented in recent reports by the U.S. Surgeon General. As the Surgeon General noted, "...mental health is inexorably linked with general health, child care, and success in the classroom and inversely related to involvement in the juvenile justice system" (U.S. Public Health Service, 2000). Twelve percent or 7.5 million youths have a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder (Edmands et al., 1999). School-based mental health (SBMH) is designed for students with, or at-risk of, Special Education classifications for emotional / behavioral problems. Mental health services are provided to children in schools through programs and/or clinics. Dr. Polly Nichols, mental health consultant, Past Director, Educational Services, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics developed a template (Step-Up/Step Down Model) for programming decisions.
Mental Health Resources
Rones and Hoagwood (2000) and Greenberg, Domitrovich and Bumbarger (2001) provide comprehensive reviews of effective school based mental health programs. For additional information on SBMH see UCLA's School Mental Health Project.
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