Alliance for Inclusion and Prevention is committed to enhancing school districts’ abilities to offer mental health services within their schools. This aligns with our mission to disseminate training and supervision in the provision of evidence-based practices within schools and in communities.

Mental health difficulties affect school performance in many ways. They can interfere with attendance, concentration, overall academic achievement and grade completion. These school-related difficulties can be ongoing because two thirds of children with mental health problems do not receive treatment. The stigma of receiving mental health-related services; lack of transportation; lack of access to nearby, quality mental health service providers; and competing parental priorities are all significant barriers to children receiving mental health services.

School-based services are essential to overcome the barriers to accessing mental health treatment. Multiple studies have found that U.S. children referred for mental health services drop out after attending only a few sessions. Research has found that only 9% of children remain in treatment after 12 weeks. A 2003 study found that students were 21 times more likely to make visits for mental health-related services when they were offered in school-based health centers than when they were offered in community-based clinics.

These findings strongly suggest that in order for students to have the access to needed behavioral health treatment, it must be available in schools. If students do not receive mental health services in their schools, they frequently will not receive them at all.

Alliance for Inclusion and Prevention has a variety of programs and initiatives related to school-based mental health. These include: