Collaborative Care to Improve Access and Quality in School-Based Behavioral Health

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Health Services
• Educational Psychology
• Integrated Care Models

Background:

• Collaborative care (CC) is a proven model for delivering accessible behavioral health services in integrated healthcare settings.
• Evidence supports CC's effectiveness for adult behavioral health, with emerging research showing utility for child and adolescent populations.
• Current research on CC for youth primarily focuses on primary care, overlooking the education sector.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on collaborative care (CC).
• To explore the relevance and application of CC within the education sector for youth behavioral health.
• To detail potential adaptations of CC for school-based settings.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of existing literature on collaborative care (CC).
• Analysis of CC's alignment with current educational and school-based behavioral health initiatives.
• Identification of potential adaptations for implementing CC in schools.

Main Results:

• Collaborative care (CC) is relevant to schools as a setting for youth behavioral health services.
• CC aligns with contemporary movements in education and school-based behavioral health.
• The review details potential adaptations of the CC model for school settings.

Conclusions:

• CC has the potential to enhance behavioral health service accessibility in schools.
• The CC model can increase the capacity of schools to deliver behavioral health services.
• Adapting CC for schools may improve the effectiveness of evidence-based practices and overall service quality and efficiency.