Toward the Integration of Prevention Research and Expanded School Mental Health Programs

Expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs provide comprehensive mental health care (assessment, treatment, case management) to youth in special and regular education in schools. These programs are growing progressively throughout the United States related to increasing disenchantment with traditional forms of mental health service delivery to youth (e.g., providing care at "centers" away from neighborhoods) and growing recognition of the advantages of providing services directly within schools (e.g., outreach to youth with internalizing disturbances). However, for the most part, prevention within ESMH programs remains underdeveloped. The integration of prevention research and ESMH offers considerable promise to ongoing efforts to reform and improve education and mental health care for youth. This article reviews barriers to this integration and strategies to overcome them.