Courtney Ann Kase

Educational Outcomes Associated With School Behavioral Health Interventions: A Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND There is an unmet need for behavioral health support and services among children and adolescents, which school behavioral health has the potential to address. Existing reviews and meta-analyses document the behavioral health benefits of school behavioral health programs and frameworks, but few summaries of the academic benefits of such programs exist. We provide exemplars of the academic benefits of school behavioral health programs and frameworks. METHODS A literature review identified school behavioral health-related articles and reports. Articles for inclusion were restricted to those that were school-based programs and frameworks in the United States that included an empirical evaluation of intervention academic-related outcomes. RESULTS Findings from 36 primary research, review, and meta-analysis articles from the past 17 years show the benefits of school behavioral health clinical interventions and targeted interventions on a range of academic outcomes for adolescents. CONCLUSION Our findings are consistent with reports documenting health benefits of school behavioral health frameworks and programs and can facilitate further efforts to support school behavioral health for a range of stakeholders interested in the benefits of school behavioral health programs and frameworks on academic outcomes.

Unmet Mental Health Treatment Need and Attitudes Toward Online Mental Health Services Among Community College Students

OBJECTIVE A survey assessed use of and attitudes toward online mental health services among community college students to inform how such services may contribute to reducing unmet treatment need. METHODS A total of 6,034 students completed a Web-based survey on mental health and use of and attitudes toward mental health services. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between prior mental health treatment and attitudes among students with current serious psychological distress. RESULTS Among students with psychological distress (N=1,557), 28% reported prior in-person service use and 3% reported online mental health services use; most (60%) reported willingness to use online services. Students with no prior in-person treatment were less likely than those with history of in-person treatment to endorse preferences for in-person services (adjusted odds ratio=.54). CONCLUSIONS Students reported being open to using online mental health services, but utilization was low. Targeted outreach efforts may be required if these services are to reduce unmet treatment need.

Evaluation Design Recommendations for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Demonstration Program

This article provides information and recommendations regarding the evaluation design of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration. Mandated by Congress in Section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, the CCBHC is a new model of specialty behavioral health clinic, designed to provide comprehensive and integrated care for adults with mental health or substance-use disorders and children with serious emotional distress. Certification criteria for the CCBHCs have been specified by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration covering six core areas: staffing; accessibility; care coordination; scope of services; quality and other reporting; and organizational authority, governance, and accreditation. In addition, services provided to Medicaid enrollees in CCBHCs will be reimbursed through one of two alternative prospective payment systems. At present, 24 states have been awarded grants to begin the planning process for implementing CCBHCs. Of these states, eight will be selected to participate in the demonstration project beginning in January 2017. Results from the evaluation will inform mandated reports to Congress over the two-year demonstration period and the three years following the end of the demonstration, providing information to policymakers on the programs impact and value. In addition, the results can inform the direction of future efforts at integration of behavioral health into the health care system at this critical time of transformation.

A Preliminary Evaluation of Interactive Video Simulation Training for Campus Law Enforcement in California

This article evaluates the Interactive Video Simulation Training to help campus law enforcement professionals refer and intervene with college students experiencing psychological distress.

Evaluation of CalMHSA Student Mental Health Online Resources

Analysis of visitors to CalMHSA-funded student mental health websites shows that visitors at educational institutions comprised the largest audience segment and promotional campaigns likely increased traffic.