A program to educate school nurses about mental health interventions

Abstract

Concerned with the increasing incidence of mental health problems in children and adolescents and the impact of these problems on students' school success and predisposition to self- and other-directed violence, the Multnomah Education Service District Department of School Health Services determined to become proactive by providing preventive interventions for students experiencing actual or potential mental health problems. An educational program was designed to assist school nurses in the identification of potential mental health problems. In addition, information about appropriate interventions for students at risk for aggression, violence, and other mental health pathology was presented. The program involved education on mental health assessment and intervention, as well as expert psychiatric clinical support for the development of student support groups. School nurses were then challenged to develop practice improvement projects incorporating this knowledge for a group of students in their work setting. This introductory article describes the project's general rationale and implementation process. The four articles following in this issue of The Journal of School Nursing describe the goals, implementation, and outcomes of the practice improvement projects developed for early intervention with students exhibiting attention disorders, school absenteeism, social withdrawal, and depression.