School-Based Mental Health Interventions Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Plus

Children and adolescents who struggle with mental illness may learn poorly and miss a lot of school (and therefore learning opportunities) due to depression, anxiety, stress- and trauma-related disorders, physical illness, and family difficulties as well as difficulties with attention, concentration, and impulsivity. Sometimes these children and adolescents are overlooked, especially when their struggles are more inward-focused, as they can be with anxiety and depression. At other times children who struggle with mental illness quickly come to the attention of school administrators and mental health professionals because their behaviors are more outward-focused and expressed in aggression and oppositionality. It is important to recognize that both inward- and outward-focused symptoms and behaviors call for appropriate school-based interventions to help improve the client’s behaviors and functioning and ultimately the ability to learn in the school setting. This manual is for use by school-based, licensed mental health providers offering psychotherapy and related services. It provides quick access to interventions that are specifically adapted to work in the school setting for
• anxiety;
• depression;
• posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma- and stress-related
disorders; and
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other impulse control
disorders.

To learn more about specific disorders and their treatment, please refer to the following OhioGuidestone treatment and intervention manuals. Each manual includes an introductory section about evidence-based treatments and an introduction to using them in the community mental health setting, including school-based mental health:
Treating Anxiety: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills and Interventions
Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Impulsivity, and Disruptive
Behaviors in Children: Using Behavioral Skill Building and Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy Skills and Interventions
Treating Depression: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills and Interventions
Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills and
Interventions