| Abstract: |
In children and adolescents, good mental health includes timely achievement of developmental milestones, healthy social and emotional functioning, adaptive behavior, and effective regulatory and coping skills. In contrast, poor mental health consists of emotional, social, or behavioral symptoms that disrupt adaptive functioning, impede healthy development, or cause impairments. Schools may be a logical place to identify and address behavioral health, create environments, institute policies, and implement interventions designed to promote good mental health and prevent mental and behavioral problems. This report discusses mental and behavioral health promotion and treatment in elementary and secondary (K-12) school settings in the United States. School-based mental health (SBMH) includes activities, programs, or services implemented in school settings to promote mental wellness and address mental or behavioral problems. This report describes common models of SBMH, summarizes research on the effectiveness of such approaches, and discusses considerations for Congress. This report includes several examples of SBMH interventions to illustrate the spectrum of activities. The report's Appendix identifies relevant federal SBMH programs and recent funding levels. |