The MHTTC Network is hosting an 8-part training series using the National School Mental Health Curriculum: Guidance and Best Practices for States, Districts, and Schools. The Curriculum was developed by the MHTTC Network in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH). It is intended to help states, districts and schools advance comprehensive school mental health and engage in a planning process for implementation.
Module 4: Screening describes the definition, purpose and importance of mental health screening in schools. Six action steps to conduct screening are provided, as well as strategies to address common barriers.
To learn more about the National School Mental Health Curriculum and gain access to the COMPLETE curriculum, click HERE.
Todd Wester is Director of Curriculum, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, and School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health in Livingston, MT, Public Schools, and a member of the Montana Student Wellness Advisory Committee. He grew up in Montana and studied philosophy at Stanford University and K-12 Education at Montana State University. Mr. Wester works closely with school and collective impact community action coalition partners to bring a collaborative, comprehensive approach to school-based mental health.
Joni Williams Splett is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology program at the University of Florida (UF). Broadly, Dr. Splett’s research focuses on the prevention and intervention of emotional and behavioral concerns for youth in schools. She is currently working on projects related to universal mental health screening and its implementation in schools, expanding multi-tiered systems of support to be inclusive of mental health promotion, prevention and intervention (Interconnected Systems Framework), and continued development and testing of a cognitive-behavioral, self-regulatory intervention for girls in middle school demonstrating relationally aggressive behaviors and their families called GIRLSS (Growing Interpersonal Relationships through Learning and Systemic Supports).
Dr. Jill Bohnenkamp is an Assistant Professor and core faculty at the National Center for School for School Mental Health within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Bohnenkamp has extensive experience in school mental health research, policy and clinical practice at the local, state and national levels. She works with individual school personnel, district, state and national leaders to advance high quality school mental health. Dr. Bohnenkamp builds on multiple years of direct clinical experience as a school mental health clinician in urban, suburban and rural school districts to inform her research and policy work. Dr. Bohnenkamp has contributed to the development of the National School Mental Health Curriculum and the School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System. Dr. Bohnenkamp is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Maryland and supervises trainee research and clinical practice.