Handbook of School Mental Health

With the growing challenges that children confront daily, schools must be prepared at any given moment to intervene on their behalf. And school professionals must be well trained to attend not only to the most routine mental health needs of its students but also to respond quickly and effectively to significant traumatic events. All this in addition to addressing demands to narrow the achievement gap, increase the rate of school success, and lower the dropout rate.Along with an introductory chapter that focuses on advancing school-based mental health practice and research, the Handbook of School Mental Health addresses a broad range of issues, including how to: Build and enhance collaborative approaches among the various individual, group, system, and agency stakeholders; Ensure best practices are used in all systems of care; provide effective training for all professionals; introduce strength-based approaches to assessment in schools; and facilitate the implementation of evidence-based practices; Prevent and effectively manage crises and violence in schools while addressing the unique ethical, cultural, and legal challenges of school mental health.This volume is an essential resource for the diverse coalition of school mental health staff and advocates including educators, social workers, school psychologists, school counselors and other professionals who work with and are concerned with the well-being of children.