School-Based Services  

Nationwide, One in Five Youth Suffers from a Diagnosable Emotional, Mental, or Behavioral Disorder

Yet the majority of youth who need care do not receive it.

• Barriers to access include lack of or limited health insurance for mental health care, social stigma, and lack of problem recognition by adults, including teachers and parents. Under-identification is of particular concern in schools and primary care settings—two systems with which nearly all children interface and where identification should be most likely to occur.
• Minority youth, in particular, are less likely to receive needed mental health care.
• Even when they do receive care, there is great variation in the quality of care they receive compared to their peers.
• The consequences of untreated mental health disorders are profound, including greater risk for poor academic outcomes, suicide, substance use, and unemployment in adulthood.

Seventy percent of children who receive mental health services access those services at school. The school environment is often a place of protection and security for students struggling with mental health disorders. This is why it is so important to emphasize the need for school based programs.

Schools are the ideal location for primary care and mental health staff to collaboratively address students’ physical and mental health needs—leading to greater success in school and in life. Their proximity to students and ability to provide mental health care in a safe, private, and confidential environment allows for the development of ongoing relationships between practitioner, patient, and family to support positive behavioral change.