Background To support student mental health, school staff must have knowledge of evidence-based practices and the capacity to implement them. One approach used to address this challenge is a group-based telementoring model called Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO). In other applications (e.g., healthcare settings), ECHO has been shown to increase healthcare professionals’ self-efficacy and knowledge of evidence-based practices leading to improved patient outcomes. Objectives This study examined the potential for ECHO to be used as a method for increasing school staff engagement and knowledge of evidence-based school mental health practices. Methods Using a quasi-experimental design, this study compared outcomes across two professional development experiences aimed at promoting school staff ability to provide evidence-based mental health services. School staff from four school districts participated in a school mental health training initiative. All participants ( N = 57) had access to asynchronous, online mental health modules. A sub-sample ( n = 33) was also offered monthly ECHO sessions. Results Tests of group difference in outcomes revealed significant increases in engagement with online learning ( d = 0.58) and satisfaction ( d = 0.82) for those who participated in ECHO as compared to those who did not. Knowledge about evidence-based practices was not significantly different between groups. Conclusions Results suggest that group-based telementoring may be a promising approach for improving engagement and satisfaction with training initiatives aimed at promoting evidence-based school mental health practices. However, further study of ProjectECHO using experimental designs is needed to make causal inferences about its effect on provider outcomes.
Telementoring is a low-cost, flexible way for school mental health professionals to access professional learning. Using a mixed-methods intervention design, we examined the impact of prolonged telementoring on school mental health professionals’ (school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and others) understanding and application of evidence-based school counseling, including associations between their use of evidence-based, culturally responsive, and collaborative practices to support student mental health. Our findings demonstrate support for the use of telementoring to improve school mental health professionals’ understanding and application of the evidence-based school counseling model. We provide specific considerations for school counseling professionals.
It is our nature to look for causal relationships, which potentially influences our interpretation of correlational research findings, both as researchers and as consumers. Finding a relationship does not mean that one event causes another: Correlation is not causation. Several criteria have been identified that increase the likelihood that an observed relationship demonstrates a causal relationship. To address the question of whether drugs cause violence, we need to acknowledge that “drugs” and “violence” are very broad terms and that there are multiple relationships between drugs and violence. Research has demonstrated strong support for the correlation between drugs and violence, with some relationships stronger than others. While the evidence is inadequate to make causal claims, this is encouraging because correlations are important in determining causation. Establishing causation is challenging, but it is possible and research should continue to pursue the question: Do drugs cause violence?
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