School-Based Mental Health Tools

​​According to The School-Based Health Alliance, in order to have the greatest positive impact, school-based mental health services should be fully blended into the framework of the school and should follow a few best practices. 

School-based mental health services should: 

1. build from and complement a positive school climate. 

2. be universally available to all students, especially prevention and early intervention services. 

3. come from mental health providers who work with school staff in teams. 

4. have mental health providers who serve as a resource to teachers and other school staff. 

5. be provided to school districts in partnership with county and community agencies. 

6. be organized into a three tier system: universal, targeted, and intensive. 

In order to support your district’s efforts to build infrastructure and staff capacity within these best practices, we have identified vetted tools and provide them here to support your school-based mental health program. 

Trauma-Informed Practices in Schools: The National Association of School Psychologists has pointed out that trauma informed schools promote: Feelings of physical, social, and emotional safety in students. These resources will help you develop a shared understanding among staff about the impact of trauma and adversity on students and staff. 

• Trauma-Sensitive Schools Training Implementation Guide 

• Trauma-Sensitive Schools Training Handout Packet

• Trauma-Informed School Strategies During COVID-19

• Educator Self-Care For Extraordinary Times: A Trauma-Sensitive Guide to Educator Wellness 

Suicide Prevention: Resources to assist with compliance of AB 2246 and AB 1767. 

• CDE Model Suicide Policy 

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Model Policy 

• California Suicide Audit 2020 

• SAMHSA Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools 

• K-12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention - Heard Alliance 

School-Based Health Centers: These are centers of health in schools where students are based. They can offer a full range of age-appropriate health care services, typically including: primary medical care, mental/behavioral health care, dental/oral health care, health education, substance abuse counseling, case management and nutrition education. 

• California School-Based Health Alliance 

• School-Based Health Alliance 

The SHAPE System: SHAPE has the tools teams need to improve school mental health programming by providing school mental health quality assessment, resource library, custom reports and a library of free and low-cost screening and assessment measures. The following guides align with the MHTTC National School Mental Health Curriculum. 

• Overview of Domains and Indicators 

• Foundations of School Mental Health 

• Teaming 

• Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping 

• Mental Health Screening 

• Mental Health Promotion for All (Tier 1) 

• Early Intervention and Treatment (Tiers 2 & 3) 

• Funding and Sustainability 

• Impact 

Screening: ​School mental health screening is a systematic process to identify the strengths and needs of students. It supports the identification of students who may be experiencing or are at risk of experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties. The following national resources provide screening measure examples and guidance in how to support youth with early identification strategies. 

• SAMHSA Ready, Set, Go, Review: Screening for Behavioral Health in Schools Guidance 

• Defending Childhood State Initiative: Guidance on Trauma Screening in Schools 

• SHAPE: School Mental Health Quality Guide - Screening 

School-Based Mental Health Programs: These county, state and national resources provide guidance in the development, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of student mental health programs and services. 

• CA Dept of Ed: CA Student Mental Health Implementation Guide 

• CA School Based Health Alliance: Connecting Students to Mental Health Services 

• SAMHSA: School Mental Health Referral Pathways Toolkit 

• MHTTC - National School Mental Health Curriculum: Guidance and Best Practices for States, Districts, and Schools ​

• Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California’s Public Schools 

• National Center for School Mental Health 

• El Dorado SELPA: ERMHS Guidelines and Resources 

• Interconnecting School Mental Health and School Wide PBIS Volume 2: An Implementation Guide 

• Project Cal Well: Three Component Model to Support Students’ Mental Health - A Guide for California Schools 

Return to School After Covid-19: The following national resources provide guidance in providing social, emotional and mental health support to students during and after a return to school after Covid 19. 

• MHTTC: Back to School after Covid-19 - Supporting Students and Staff Mental Health 

• MHA Toolkit: Back to School 2020 - Coping During Covid 

• Penn State: Supporting School Community Wellness with SEL During and After a Pandemic 

• American Academy of Pediatrics: Guidance on Supporting the Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs of Children 

Medi-Cal Reimbursement: As schools and local educational agencies seek out ways to fund and sustain school based mental health services, Medi-Cal funded services have the potential to grow significantly in schools. The following resources provide information to support third party billing and the development of Medi-Cal funded mental health support. 

• California Children's Trust: Practical Guide for Financing Social, Emotional and Mental Health in Schools 

• California School Based Health Alliance Funding: School Based Health Care 

• California School Health Centers: Third Party Billing 

• Dept of Health Care Services: Medi-Cal/LEA Program Provider Manual ​

If you are a District Designee and need additional information or have any questions, please reach out to your Regional Mental Health Coordinator.​