Health care reform and psychological practice in schools.

Abstract

National policy calls for the placement of comprehensive, customer-oriented, and accessible health and social services programs for America's children and youth. Schools have been targeted as the ideal location for such services. Numerous models of school-based and school-linked programs have been initiated. The role of psychology in these emerging models and programs is highly variable; however, it is an essential service that increasingly is being recognized as necessary in order for schools to address complex and diverse student and staff health needs. In this article, models for the delivery of school health services are profiled. Implications for practitioners who currently work in schools and for psychologists who are not currently working in schools but who are interested in maximizing psychology's contribution to school health services are offered.Major social and demographic changes within our nation, highlighted by the high number of children living in poverty and by research linking disadvantage, educational failure, and poor mental health among children and families, have been antecedents to an emerging consensus in both federal and state policy calling for the integration of social, psychological, and health services (i.e., one-stop shopping) in school-based or school-linked sites (

Discriminative validity of the behavior assessment system for children‐parent rating scales in children with recurrent abdominal pain and matched controls

“…School psychologists play an essential role in the implementation of effective school health programs, in particular the identification and treatment of psychological aspects of physical illness (Carlson et al, 1996;Kolbe, Collins, & Cortese, 1997). Yet, school professionals often lack the knowledge or resources to assess and intervene in children with complex functional pain disorders such as RAP, and may be overwhelmed and frustrated as a result (Minke, Bear, Deemer, & Griffin, 1996).…”

“…Overall, there is increased recognition that schools can be an integral component of a larger network of health care delivery (Short & Talley, 1997). The establishment of school health programs, whereby schools, families and communities are integrated, is an essential, cost-effective means to address children's health needs (Kolbe, Collins, & Cortese, 1997); schools can provide access to health and mental health services to populations in need while also providing stability and coordination within the community (Carlson et al, 1996).…”

School‐based health centers: Opportunities and challenges for school psychologists

“…Carlson et al (1996) note that traditional, categorical funding mechanisms lead to fragmented services, thus limiting coordination of services for children. Many SBHCs are initiating collaborative relationships with Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) including Medicaid MCOs (Armbruster, Andrews, & Couenhoven, 1999).…”

“…Funding from private citizens including the Robert Wood Johnson and Hoag Foundations (DeMers & Bricklin, 1995;Carlson, Tharinger, Bricklin, Demers, & Paavola, 1996) and private and public hospitals are supporting the development of SBHCs. Although many funding sources exist, there remains a lack of a coherent policy vision for pupil services or school health programs, and these programs do not enjoy high status within the education hierarchy and in current health and education policy initiatives (Adelman & Taylor, 1998).…”

School‐based health centers: Strategies for meeting the physical and mental health needs of children and families

“…Clinical social workers and mental health counselors were the most frequently participating professionals, with psychologists, substance abuse counselors, and psychiatrists also participating (National Assembly for School-Based Health Care, 2000). Psychology as a profession has been absent from efforts to provide school-based health services (Carlson, Tharinger, Bricklin, DeMers, & Paavola, 1996), only recently recognizing the potential of practice in school-based health centers (Kubiszyn, 1999). School psychologists can be especially well-suited to provide mental health and psychosocial services in a primary health care setting such as the SBHC (Shaw et al, 1995).…”