Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | J | Journal of Mental Health Counseling

Suggestions for improving the delivery of therapeutic staff support in the public schools. (Professional Exchange).

Article Excerpt
Since 1992, the use of community-based mental health services has increased in the public schools (Parents Involved Network of Pennsylvania Fact Sheet #18, 1994). Also known as "wraparound," these mental health services include therapeutic staff support (TSS), mobile therapy, and behavioral intervention consultation.

Studies have shown that there has been a reduction in behavior, attendance, and academic problems in school districts where mental health services are provided (Bush & Wilson, 1997). Unfortunately, research has also indicated that the coordination required for the effective delivery of these services is sorely lacking (Carlson, Paavola, & Talley, 1995). This absence of coordination may be attributable to several factors. First of all, school personnel and mental health personnel may have insufficient knowledge about their counterpart or the requirements under which they must operate. Secondly, the communication required for establishing and maintaining effective coordination may be missing.

The main purpose of this article is to provide suggestions to mental health personnel (i.e., service agencies and therapeutic staff support workers) for improving the delivery of TSS in the public schools. The focus is on therapeutic staff support for two reasons. First, due to the range and extent of the activities (e.g., crisis intervention, immediate behavioral reinforcement, emotional support, time-structuring activities, time-out strategies, and / or passive restraints when necessary), TSS is the mental health service that is most frequently used in public schools. Secondly, not only are TSS workers in unfamiliar territory whenever they enter the school's domain, but they often must work independently and without day-to-day support of their agency.

Written from the school district's perspective, this article provides basic information on how schools function, along with suggestions for improving communication with school personnel. It is hoped that this article will be of benefit to mental health personnel and facilitate the delivery of TSS support to students who simply could not succeed in school without it.

OVERVIEW OF SCHOOL PROCEDURES

Mental health (MH) personnel are expected to comply with different procedures whenever they...