School-Based Single-Session Interventions: A Scalable Strategy to Address the Mental Health Crisis

Student mental health problems have markedly increased in recent years. These elevated challenges have placed an immense strain on staff and resources, limiting schools’ ability to provide mental health services to all students with increased needs. To address this concern, we conceptualize the use of school-based single-session interventions as a novel strategy to scale treatment access and reduce burdens on resources and staff. We discuss SSIs, provide research on their effectiveness, and delineate considerations for their use in schools. Lastly, we provide a case study to help illustrate how SSIs can be integrated into school-based practice. Although largely unrealized in schools, SSIs have the potential to enact meaningful changes to school-based mental health service delivery.