Developing Your School?s Student Support Teams: A Practical Guide for K-12 Leaders, Student Services Personnel, and Mental Health Staff

The second edition of Developing Your School’s Student Support Teams offers practical guidance for current and future practitioners working in/with schools to establish, facilitate, and sustain coordinated teams in support of students’ social, emotional, and behavioral health. Students come to school each day with a range of issues that complicate their learning, engagement, and overall well-being. While school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and nurses are employed in many school districts, their schedules often make it difficult to collaborate effectively in developing and implementing comprehensive intervention plans. This book is filled with strategies designed to address these issues.

This revised edition includes new and updated approaches to:

• Collaboration, co-location of services, and memorandums of understanding
• Linking mental health and education
• Safe schools and violence prevention
• Care coordination/case management
• Attendance improvement
• School wellness centers that meet FERPA and HIPPA requirements
• And much more!

Readers will have access to a wealth of supplementary online resources, including checklists, sample interventions, communication templates, staff input forms, and beyond. With these proactive, field-tested teamwork strategies and ancillary materials, school staff will be better prepared to share tasks and accountability and to identify and build upon the existing strengths and supports of every student.

Howard Blonsky is a Consultant in School Mental Health and Student Support Services. He previously served as a School Social Worker and program consultant in the San Francisco Unified School District, and has consulted in a number of other districts. With a background in both mental health and education, he has worked to bring and bridge the best of these perspectives into the effective delivery of services in public education settings.

Steve Berta has taught the Organizational Change and Development, and Law and Ethics courses in the Counselor Education Department at San Jose State University. He previously served as Manager of Student Services in the San Jose Unified School District and was Director of Health Education and Safe and Drug Free Schools for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. He is a former teacher, counselor and school principal.

James Wogan is a School Administrator and School Social Worker known for innovation and collaboration in support of youth mental health and equity. He previously served as the Assistant Director of Student Services in the Mt. Diablo USD, Director of Wellness in the Acalanes Union High School District and as Manager of Student Services in Berkeley Unified School District. He began his career in education in San Francisco, USA.