Starting in 2009, Health Schools and Communities (HSC), in partnership with Alameda County Health, Behavioral Health Department (ACBHD), developed an innovative county-district-provider partnership that has expanded universal access to behavioral health supports. The prevalence of behavioral health struggles and exposure to trauma can have a profound impact on young people’s lives, interfering with their ability to perform normal tasks, such as engaging in school and establishing healthy interpersonal relationships. It is vital that districts and schools have systems in place to support a student’s behavioral health and to create supportive school environments if they are to successfully educate all students.
Yet, school districts cannot do this alone. The entire network of behavioral health providers – city and county health departments, community mental health providers, substance abuse and prevention programs – is needed to create school environments that can support all students.
HSC provides SBBH services through dedicated staff, and by funding the school district and community partners. SBBH services encompass a wide variety of services and programs: school-based mental health clinicians; mental health consultation training for teachers, staff, administrators, and parents; and development and improvement of referral and service coordination systems, such as Coordination of Services Teams (COST), internship programs, peer to peer mentoring programs, and consultation on school-wide efforts to create positive, culturally inclusive school environments.
For more information, please contact Kate.Graves@acgov.org
School-Based Behavioral Health Resources
Here are resources related to School-Based Behavioral Health Centers.