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Interprofessional collaboration among school-based and community-based mental health providers in children's mental has been studied in relation to specific providers and as part of program evaluation; however, limited information exists as to how to overcome barriers to collaborative relationships. This study describes the experiences of school and community mental health service providers and those who supervise them. Using phenomenological methodology, three focus-group interview transcripts were analyzed by identifying recurrent themes relevant to the experience of collaboration from school and community providers' perspectives. Although participants viewed aspects of collaboration positively, barriers frequently interfered with collaborative relationships. Support for collaboration from state, district or organization administration was considered necessary for widespread collaboration across settings. To reduce time constraints on existing school staff, school-based professionals suggested it may be necessary to employ additional staff to manage collaborative relationships. Participants' ideas for funding included cutting costs, reducing risks, and grant writing. Jointly developing procedures, increasing accessibility by having services available within the school setting, and collecting outcome data regularly to share with stakeholders were discussed. Understanding the experiences of collaboration among school and community mental health providers has the potential to ignite social change by helping schools and community agencies overcome barriers to collaboration through improved coordination of services for children with unmet mental health needs.

Broadly, the purpose of this study was to address the gaps in the knowledge base of caregiver strain through an examination of this and other theoretically related constructs in a sample of parents of high-risk youth. In the last two decades, a growing body of research has pointed to the significance of strain that can result from this caregiving experience, particularly as it relates to patterns of mental health services utilization. Despite the fact that the majority of children who receive mental health receive them from the school, few studies have examined caregiver strain in the context of school-based mental health services or with caregivers of youth in special education for Emotional Disturbance (ED). Additionally, while the Modified Double ABCX Model of family stress and coping has been identified as a useful model to understand caregiver strain and its related constructs, questions remain about how all of the components of this model work together to influence caregiver strain and the mechanism by which caregiver strain influences youth mental health service use and parent engagement in services. The specific aims of this study were to: (1) explore the construct of caregiver strain and its relationship with theoretically related constructs in caregivers of youth in special education for ED, and (2) examine the factors, including caregiver strain, that predict school-based mental health services utilization and parent engagement in services. Secondary analyses were conducted using data collected as part of a randomized controlled trial of a parent support intervention for caregivers of youth in special education for ED. Participants included 112 caregivers and you their youth recruited from 22 schools and special education centers. Data were provided by caregivers and school-based mental health service providers. Caregivers completed phone interviews conducted upon entry into the study and again approximately nine months later. These semi-structured interviews included measures of youth functioning, caregiver strain, and caregivers’ perceptions related to their child’s problems and engagement in services. School-based mental health service providers supplied data related to the amount of school-based mental health counseling services received by youth and whether caregivers consulted with service providers during the study period. Data were analyzed using a variety of quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, dependent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), multiple linear regression, and multiple logistic regression. Results revealed that caregivers reported the highest levels of subjective-internalizing strain, and that the level of three types of caregiver strain decreased from time 1 to time 2. Additionally, caregivers of males tended to report higher levels of strain than caregivers of females, and parents tended to report higher levels of strain than other caregivers. Consistent with previous studies, non-Hispanic Black caregivers tended to report the lowest levels of caregiver strain compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. Findings from SEM analyses revealed that following slight modifications to the originally hypothesized model, the model tested fit the data well and all of the paths included in the model (other than those related to race/ethnicity) had statistically significant parameter estimates. Findings from the multiple linear regression analyses revealed that collectively the predictors included in the model accounted for only a small percentage of the variance in the outcome (11.9%), and none of the predictors included in the regression model significantly predicted the amount of school-based counseling received by students. Results from the multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that only youth gender and youth conduct problems were significant predictors of the outcome; caregivers of male youth and caregivers of youth with more conduct problems were less likely than caregivers of female youth and caregivers of youth with fewer conduct problems, respectively, to have consulted with their child’s school-based mental health services provider during the school year. Collectively, findings from this study demonstrate that caregivers of youth in special education for ED experience caregiver strain to a similar degree as caregivers of youth receiving services through mental health systems. Further, findings provide evidence for the usefulness of the Modified Double ABCX Model in studying and understanding caregiver strain in this population. While findings from this study provide support for the relationships among the constructs of this model, findings from this study also suggest that this model may not hold up in terms of predicting the amount of school-based services received by youth or the likelihood of parent engagement with their child’s school-based mental health service provider. Additional research is needed that includes a more complete representation of the constructs of this model to determine if this model holds for school-based service use and engagement.

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Latest research on the mental health status of children indicates that schools are key providers of mental health services (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The push for school mental health services has only increased as stakeholders have begun to recognize the significance of sound mental health as an essential part of academic success (Adelman & Taylor, 2002). However, while schools are recognized as playing an important role in the delivery of mental health services, it is not well understood about the types of mental health services provided, qualifications of providers, and the link to student outcomes (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The present study examined Florida school mental health service providers' perceptions about the types of mental health services provided in schools and school mental health service providers' qualifications to provide such services. Additionally, the study investigated the agreement about providers' qualifications to provide mental health services between providers, supervisors, and directors. Finally, this study investigated the perceptions of providers regarding the impact of mental health services on student outcomes. Results revealed that school mental health service providers considered several services, such as family counseling and mental health consultation, to be school mental health services. Services typically not viewed as mental health services were assessments, consultation improving academic concerns, early-intervention, universal screenings, and specialized intervention. School psychologists were the only mental health professional to receive a unanimous agreement from school mental health providers that they were most qualified of the three professionals to deliver a service (e.g., assessment). Additionally, with the exception of school psychologists, there was no consistency reported between administrators and school mental health service providers about providers' qualifications to deliver services. The following variables moderated perceptions about the qualifications of school mental health service providers: school level, SES status of school, and degree level. Lastly, school level and SES status of the school did not moderate perceptions about the impact of mental health services on academic and behavioral outcomes.

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Historically, Hispanic/Latino (H/L) students have been under-referred, under-identified, and under-served by the U.S. Special Education (SPED) system, particularly under the emotional behavioral disturbance (EBD) category. This finding is alarming given that numerous federal sources report that H/L students continue a disturbing trend of struggling academically as well as being at a higher risk for poor mental health outcomes such as elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidality when compared to their peers. Unfortunately, the existing mental health and education literature on H/L students provides limited guidance in understanding the disproportionate underrepresentation of H/L in the EBD category of the SPED system; an underrepresentation well-documented in the report to congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Using survey methods, the purpose of this study was to shed light on the possible mediating role teachers' perceptions have on the SPED referral and identification decisions by looking at teacher ratings of risk for EBD-like behaviors of students across behavioral conditions (i.e., internalizing versus externalizing types of behaviors) and across ethnic/racial groups (i.e., White, African Americans, and H/L students) using a response-to-intervention framework. Using the Qualtrics software, an online survey tool, 114 self-selected pre-service teachers were surveyed; data was collected and analyzed using a One-way Analysis of Variance. Two main effects and two interaction effects were explored: does the students' ethnic/racial background moderate the teachers' at risk score (ARS) regardless of the behavior displayed?; does the type of behavioral expression moderate the ARS regardless of ethnic/race?; is there an interaction effect between H/L students exhibiting internalizing behaviors that systematically results in a lower ARS and AA students exhibiting externalizing behaviors that systematically results in a higher ARS? Results indicated that (a) when compared to White, Hispanic/Latino students are indeed less likely to be perceived by the pre-service teachers as exhibiting EBD-like behaviors regardless of the behavior (externalizing, internalizing, or neutral) displayed, (b) externalizing behaviors was the strongest predictor for perceiving someone as at-risk for having EBD-like behaviors, and (c) no interaction effects were found.

This work presents the topic of well-being, also called mental health, in connection with the school education in the primary school. Well-being is becoming more and more current topis as it is turning out that well-being in school can affect students' attitude to learning and school in general, even their school results. In the theoretical part, the term well-being is introduced from more different perspectives, definitions are being introduced used for different purposes and focusing on diverse aspects of well-being. Researches investigating well-being particularly in the primary school are presented, also programs promoting well-being by children and the connection of well-being with behaviour of students' feelings, school results and the teacher's attitude. Further the role of well-being in children's education and taking it into consideration in curriculum of different countries is presented and the situation of involving students' well-being in the practice at the primary school. The practical part presents results of a questionnaire survey, aimed at comparison of the degree of well-being in three classes of fifth graders at the primary school with a different approach of the teacher to teaching and managing the class. At the same time, relationship between well- being and school results of...