Developing Comprehensive School Safety and Mental Health Programs

Developing Comprehensive School Safety and Mental Health Programs offers an integrated, long-term plan to create safe and supportive learning environments. This user-friendly guide illustrates how to develop, implement, evaluate, and sustain multiple evidence-based programs that work. This book informs school mental health professionals, administrators, and teachers about multi-tiered service delivery, organizational development, and facilitating the implementation process. It describes the complementary roles of school administrators, counselors, and school psychologists, providing school staff with time, resources, and ongoing support to strengthen their skills and sustain programs they have embraced. It expresses empathy and appreciation for teachers, advocating for their personal growth, professional collaboration, and stress management. School leaders, facilitators, and teams are provided the knowledge, skills, and long-term plans to effectively advocate, assess needs, select programs, train and encourage staff, provide resources, and implement, evaluate, and sustain desired goals.

Jeffrey C. Roth, PhD, NCSP, has initiated and led a school-wide conflict resolution program, positive behavioral supports, crisis response team, social skills curriculum, and professional development programs. He has served as an adjunct professor at Wilmington University and a Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteer, and was awarded Delaware's School Psychologist of the Year. Terri A. Erbacher, PhD, has served as a school psychologist for over 20 years, was a professor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for over 13 years, and has a private practice at erbacherconsulting.com. Dr. Erbacher has won numerous awards for crisis-based community service, including Pennsylvania's School Psychologist of the Year.

About the Authors; List of Illustrations; Foreword by Charles Barrett; Acknowledgments and Dedications; SECTION I Background; Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: The Case for Comprehensive School Safety and Mental Health Programs; Chapter 3: Models Promoting School Safety and Mental Health Service Delivery; SECTION II Foundational Practices Supporting School Safety and Mental Health; Chapter 4: Positive School Climate; Chapter 5: Culturally Responsive School Mental Health Services and Education; Chapter 6: Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS); Chapter 7: Family - School Collaboration and Caregiver Education; Chapter 8: Monitoring Social Media and Technology; SECTION III: Programs and Practices Supporting School and Student Safety; Chapter 9: Crisis Prevention, Preparedness, and Response; Chapter 10: Violence Prevention, Threat Assessment, and Intervention; Chapter 11: Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention; SECTION IV School-Wide Programs Promoting Positive Behavior and Mental Health; Chapter 12: Universal Mental Health Screening; Chapter 13: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Chapter 14: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL); Chapter 15: Trauma-Informed Schools (TIS); SECTION V Professional Development for School Safety and Mental Health; Chapter 16: Developing Effective Professional Development; Chapter 17: Best Practices in Professional Development; SECTION VI Putting It All Together; Chapter 18: Implementing, Evaluating, and Sustaining Integrated Programs and Practices; Chapter 19: Integrating and Managing Multiple Programs and Practices; Appendix; Index.