RFP 4141 Behavioral Health in Schools (BHS)

Behavioral Health in Schools (BHS) seeks to improve well-being among students with mental health concerns, enhance school environments for all students, and support an integrated and responsive health system. BHS enhances the school’s continuum of mental health supports so that all of our students can be college, career, and community ready. This vision is built on a partnership among various community-based organizations dedicated to nurturing a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and a school-linked system of mental health practices and supports.

BHS focuses on addressing the unmet mental health needs of students and their families. The program integrates a mental health clinician into the schools where they provide individual treatment to students who are experiencing barriers to accessing community-based mental health care and actively collaborate with the Student Services team (e.g., work closely with school-based BHS coordinator, attend student services meetings, etc.). Around 75% of the Clinician’s time is spent delivering reimbursable services. The remaining time is focused on care management, collaboration/coordination with school-based staff, school staff consultations, and delivering professional development (e.g., trauma-informed practices, socio-emotional supports).

The BHS clinician is a licensed mental health provider who delivers individual and group behavioral health interventions that reflect a culturally responsive approach that facilitates the connection of students and families with their ‘natural supports’, strengths, and culturally specific resources. Interventions are time-effective and responsive to the changing needs of the student and school community. BHS Clinicians work with school staff so they have a better understanding of how to support students with mental health concerns. Finally, BHS Clinicians are also a bridge to healthcare homes, community- based mental health resources, and intensive mental health interventions that are indicated (e.g., referrals). This program is modeled after a successful national model that reflects best practices in expanded school-based mental health.