Meeting the mental health needs of students in a pandemic: A quantitative analysis of the impact of school-based mental health services on student outcomes

Intervention following alternative events is essential for continued cognitive development. Prior research has cognitive growth models and the effect of alternative stimuli on youth when given similar foundations. Following the return to school after a national pandemic and extended school closure following the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, it is vital to determine factors to increase positive post-secondary outcomes for students. This research study examined the potential impact of student mental health on academic achievement in response to school closure following a pandemic. The research study consisted of 92 individual students and was a quasi-experimental quantitative study. Data consisted of two nominal independent variables and one scale dependent variable. The independent variables were participation in school based mental health or non-participation and the dependent variables were STAR 360 benchmark assessments in reading and math. Scaled Score and Normal Curve Equivalent were analyzed utilizing SPSS to calculate statistical significance within the data set. The data from this study indicated statistically significant growth in reading and math post-school closure as well as statistical significance in between all benchmark assessments in relation to time but no statistical significance due to school based mental health. The findings represent students who were presented with alternative stimuli and required intervention to return to commensurate cognitive growth. Following the pandemic closure, schools needed to develop additional levels of support that reconnected students to school and furthered social and emotional learning practices. Analysis of pre- and post-extended school closure data as well as the main effect of time in posttest analysis suggests that universal support over time may correlate to increased academic achievement and growth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Conclusion

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book is produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, an event that has drawn attention to the importance and fragility of good mental health. It presents the use of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised, Mental Health Service Evaluation and the Global Assessment of Functioning in probation in Ireland. The book discusses the use of the Kessler-6 in London and the idea that currently mental health services would be overloaded if screening positive on this measure alone was used to initiate a referral. It outlines the use of the Autism Quotient-10 to identify 'possible autism' and the Adult Asperger Assessment to gather a more detailed picture. The book discusses the use of drug specialists in probation practice. It highlights the central importance of a positive and consistent relationship between a person under supervision and their Probation Practitioner for positive mental health. This is important to build trust in order for an individual to be open about their mental health needs, and to minimise the potential trauma and stress that may result from having to retell a difficult story. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A sketch of the problem

In 2019, the world changed in significant ways. The emergence and spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2, more commonly known as COVID-19 to note the year of its development into a pandemic, altered social and economic conditions everywhere. All nations of the world had to contend with the virus and its effects. This chapter draws on ecological systems theory to highlight the ways in which various systems were able to/unable to address children and adolescents' social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs during the pandemic. It lays out the assumptions that underlie ecological systems theory, a developmental theory that explores human development as the result of interacting and intertwined ecological contexts. The chapter provides an illustration of how the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of children and adolescents have been and continue to be shaped by interactions across these various ecological contexts. It considers next steps and outlines how research, policy, and practice might take up ecological systems theory in seeking to address the persistent and pervasive problems of children and adolescents' well-being in the context of intertwined and overlapping systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Navigating students' mental health in the wake of COVID-19: Using public health crises to inform research and practice

This book highlights the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health needs of children and adolescents in order to shed light on future practice and reform needed to better deal with the aftermath of such devastating events. The book identifies the conditions during any public health crisis that heighten the mental health needs of children and adolescents and suggests the reforms of mental health services needed to better meet the needs during pandemics and public health crises. It will be of equal use to both students and researchers in the fields of mental health, well-being, and education as well as teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, and practitioners working in schools and communities to address students' mental health needs. The book will help readers better understand how and why COVID-19 was a negative influence on students' mental health and unpack how best to deal with the aftermath of pandemic. This research-focused series consist of titles that consider key issues affecting young people's mental health and well-being, exploring preventative measures, promoting positive behavior, and sharing research to develop effective and efficient treatment. The book was written at a time when the whole of humanity has been under the influence of coronavirus pandemic. The impact of this global crisis has increased stress and anxiety levels for everyone, but especially for children and their families, which has highlighted the importance of supporting and facilitating the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. The authors of the chapters help us better understand the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and adolescents, the nature and international scope of the problem, what can be done to mitigate the pandemic's ill effects, what we need to know more about, and how we might best prepare for future crises in public health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A needs assessment of intervention services for students with emotional, social, and behavioral challenges in an orthodox Jewish high school

The present study investigated the mental health needs of a Modern Orthodox Jewish High School. The researcher sought to find out what types of emotional, social, and behavioral issues students present in a Modern Orthodox High School, what types of strategies and interventions are currently being used to address these issues, and how effective teachers perceive these strategies to be. The study investigated what additional services teachers would consider to be useful to address the emotional, social and behavioral challenges of students, and what barriers to the effective delivery of mental health teachers perceive. Finally, the study investigated the differences between teachers of religious topics and teachers of secular topics as pertain to their perception of mental health challenges, perception of strategies used, and suggestions of strategies that they think should be implemented. A survey was administered via Qualtrics to all teaching staff (N = 42) via email. Respondents (n = 29) reported that the most concerning mental health challenges they perceived were anxiety, inattention/hyperactivity, family stressors and peer challenges. Teachers reported that the mental health strategies they observed the most were individual counseling/therapy and health and wellness promotion. Teachers perceived individual counseling, group therapy and parent consultation with the school psychologist/guidance staff to be the most effective interventions. Teachers reported that they perceived it would be effective to add screening for emotional/behavioral/social problems, and prevention programs for students with externalizing challenges and internalizing challenges. The main barriers reported by teachers were competing priorities taking precedence over mental health services, challenges with parent consultation, lack of staff training, difficulty identifying children with mental health needs, stigma associated with receiving mental health services. Teachers of religious topics more frequently reported perceiving higher amounts of mental health challenges, though the means were very close. This survey was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the divergence of the findings from prior research on the topic may be due to the unique mental health challenges that came about during the pandemic. The divergences may also be due to the unique nature of the Orthodox Jewish School. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

State mental health infrastructure, personality, and politics of shelter-in-place

Guided by the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study investigated how regional variation in mental health needs and resources may have impacted early efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Publicly available data were analyzed to evaluate states' initial responses (i.e., February 2020-March 2020) to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, were included in the analyses, providing a total sample size of N = 51. U.S. states with greater mental health needs and barriers to treatment tended to: be slower to implement shelter-in-place orders;have residents who showed less increase in time at their residences in response to the crisis;be more rural, economically disadvantaged, and more conventional;and have less access to the internet. Considering this cultural context provides insight for tailoring and implementing interventions in a culturally competent manner. Furthermore, mental health resource sharing across states and regions may be needed to address future mental health care gaps resulting from the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Rural and financially strained areas with fewer resources and greater mental health needs tended to spend less time under shelter-in-place orders and showed less increase in time spent at home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention is needed to strengthen community resources and health care infrastructure to support recovery from the pandemic. Access to finances and resources may facilitate more rapid and flexible change in routines required by future pandemics and large-scale threats. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigation of health care needs, behaviors, and existing health conditions of individuals aged >= 65 during the pandemic

This study aims to determine the investigation of health-care needs, behaviors, and existing health conditions of individuals aged and over the age of 65 during the pandemic. Descriptive study's data were collected from individuals aged >=65 years who have at least one chronic disease between April and June 2020 during the curfews by using the interview method via telephone. A decrease was found during the coronavirus pandemic regarding perceived well-being, fitness, and overall health, having regular physician examinations, sufficient sleep and rest, avoiding stress, and exercising regularly. The participants could not go to regular medical examinations (51.5%) and 37.3% of the participants did not consider going to the hospital. Some of the individuals (22.4%) had to go to the hospital because of acute problems. These results led to the consideration that there can be negative consequences of the pandemic on the health status of individuals. These consequences may cause health risks and irreversible problems in the management of chronic diseases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Women's experiences of trauma, the psychosocial impact and health service needs during the perinatal period.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic events are associated with psychological and physical health problems for women in the perinatal period (i.e., pregnancy-12-months after childbirth). Despite the negative impact of trauma on perinatal women, the long-term impact of such diverse trauma and women's experience during the perinatal period remains understudied. METHODS: This study explored two research questions: 1) What are the psychological experiences of perinatal women who have experienced interpersonal traumatic events? And 2) What are the service needs and gaps expressed by women relating to perinatal medical protocols and psychological services? These questions were addressed via in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews with nine perinatal women (one pregnant and eight postpartum) residing in central Canada who reported experiencing interpersonal traumatic events occurring from adolescence to the perinatal period. Recruitment and data collection occurred from October 2020 to June 2021. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to constructivist grounded theory. RESULTS: The emergent grounded theory model revealed the central theme of the role of prior trauma in shaping women's perinatal experiences, with four related main themes including perinatal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of social support in women's perinatal experiences, the barriers that women experienced while seeking psychological and medical services prior to the perinatal period and during the perinatal period, and the specific needs of perinatal women with a history of interpersonal trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this research highlight the negative and long-lasting impact of traumatic events experienced on women's psychological health and psychosocial functioning during the perinatal period, as well as perinatal women's unmet psychological and medical service needs. A call to action for perinatal researchers and clinicians is imperative in furthering this important area of research and practicing person-centered and trauma-informed care with this population.

CCTC 2020: Addressing social responsiveness in health service psychology education and training

In 2020, the Council of Chairs of Training Councils (CCTC) collaborated to address the need for health service psychology (HSP) education and training to become more socially responsive, with an emphasis on providing resources and support for educators. This is essential given the increasing recognition of unmet health needs and the deleterious effects of mental health difficulties, racial and economic disparities, and burden on the psychology workforce. This article describes the coming together of the HSP education and training community to create the CCTC 2020: Social Responsiveness in Health Service Psychology Education and Training Toolkit. The shared decision-making leading to the development of the concept and conference, the shift in conference structure due to COVID-19, and the collaborative process of constructing the toolkit are described. Additionally, several principles that guided the work including a focus on relationships, embracing change, and the importance of self-awareness are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Significance Statement-This article highlights the need for a new model in health service psychology (HSP) education and training that centers social responsiveness and offers a detailed description of the recent working conference by the Council of Chairs of Training Councils that was designed to develop tools and new approaches to socially responsive training. The authors share how the structure, process, and components of the conference as well as the products developed reflect the type of transformational change that is needed in HSP training and education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Telemental health for rural university-assisted community schools

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, children and families in rural communities have been experiencing unprecedented long-term social isolation and insufficient access to mental health services. Prior to the pandemic, access to mental healthcare in rural communities was already inadequate, leading rural populations to be routinely underserved when facing significant social issues and mental health needs. Even though the pandemic has disrupted the traditional delivery of mental healthcare and exacerbated needs, isolated children and families in rural areas can benefit from mental health services through a telemental health approach. This article presents an innovative telemental health practice model that implements solution-focused brief therapy with social work interns in rural university-assisted community schools (UACS). Implications for policies supporting telemental health in rural UACS, social work education, and evaluation are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

An Update to the Malthus Model for Radiotherapy Utilisation in England.

AIMS: The Malthus Programme predicts national and local radiotherapy demand by combining cancer incidence data with decision trees detailing the indications, and appropriate dose fractionation, for radiotherapy. Since the last model update in 2017, technological advancements and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increasing hypofractionation of radiotherapy schedules. Indications for radiotherapy have also evolved, particularly in the context of oligometastatic disease. Here we present a brief update on the model for 2021. We have updated the decision trees for breast, prostate, lung and head and neck cancers, and incorporated recent cancer incidence data into our model, generating a current estimate of fraction demand for these four cancer sites across England. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The decision tree update was based on evidence from practice-changing randomised controlled trials, published guidelines, audit data and expert opinion. Site- and stage-specific incidence data were taken from the National Disease Registration Service. We used the updated model to estimate the proportion of patients who would receive radiotherapy (appropriate rate of radiotherapy) and the fraction demand per million population at a national and Clinical Commissioning Group level in 2021. RESULTS: The total predicted fraction demand has decreased by 11.4% across all four cancer sites in our new model, compared with the 2017 version. This reduction can be explained primarily by greater use of hypofractionated treatments (including stereotactic ablative radiotherapy) and a shift towards earlier stage presentation. The only large change in appropriate rate of radiotherapy was an absolute decrease of 3% for lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with our previous model, the current version predicts a reduction in fraction demand across England. This is driven principally by hypofractionation of radiotherapy regimens, using technology that requires increasingly complex planning. Treatment complexity and local service factors need to be taken into account when translating fraction burden into linear accelerator demand or throughput.

Service needs of older adults with serious mental illness

This reprinted chapter originally appeared in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2020, 63[6-7], 659-661. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2020-38383-001.) The COVID-19 pandemic places older adults with serious mental illness with medical comorbidity at greater risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes. Social workers can play an important role in promoting well-being by working collaboratively with clients to address loneliness and to develop chronic disease self-management skills. Integration of physical and behavioral healthcare is even more essential now for promoting well-being among older adults with schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, and major depressive disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Detroit's efforts to meet the needs of seniors: Macro responses to a crisis

This reprinted chapter originally appeared in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2020, 63[6-7], 706-708. (The following of the original article appeared in record 2021-00510-031.) The Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit Coalition (SHP-D), a volunteer organization without paid staff, organized to protect low income senior housing in the urban core and promote development of naturally occurring affordable housing. But as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the city, the coalition found itself asking who should look after the seniors in these buildings. Social workers with training in gerontology have great opportunity to participate in coalitions like SHP-D as ways to use their backgrounds and training to be part of concrete solutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The psychology of pandemics: Lessons learned for the future

Pandemics are not simply events in which some harmful microbe "goes viral," rapidly spreading across the globe. Psychology plays a central role in pandemics, influencing the spreading and containment of diseases, and shaping pandemic-related distress and socially disruptive, divisive, and potentially harmful phenomena such as panic buying, racism, and protests against pandemic mitigation restrictions. Insights from contemporary research, combined with analyses of historical records, offers numerous lessons for planning and managing future pandemics: (1) pandemics are not "once in a lifetime" events;plan for more to come, (2) forgetting past pandemics is not an option, (3) the labels given to pandemics matter a lot, (4) the infodemic regarding health information is here to stay and we need to learn to deal with it, (5) uncertainty is an stressor pervading all aspects of pandemics, from beginning to end, (6) pandemics are dynamic events;don't assume static patterns of emotions, attitudes, or behaviors, (7) pandemics can elicit extreme psychological reactions, (8) lockdown harms mental health;alternatives need to be developed and evaluated, (9) resilience is the norm, (10) but a substantial minority of pandemic survivors will need mental health services, (11) health care worker burnout is a serious but tractable problem, (12) mental health services must move beyond the consulting room, (13) we need to be proactive in anticipating and addressing pandemics, and (14) there needs to be a greater involvement of psychology in preparing for and managing pandemics. The present article describes and expands on these lessons for managing future pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (French) Les pandemies ne sont pas simplement des evenements au cours desquels un microbe dangereux << devient viral et se propage rapidement dans le monde. La psychologie y joue aussi un role central : elle influe sur la propagation et l'enrayement des maladies et faconne la detresse et les phenomenes socialement perturbateurs, diviseurs et potentiellement dangereux inherents a la pandemie, tels qu'une fievre d'achat, du racisme et des protestations contre les restrictions destinees a juguler la pandemie. Les resultats de la recherche contemporaine, combines a ceux d'analyses d'archives, permettent de tirer de nombreux enseignements pour la prevention et la gestion des futures pandemies : 1) les pandemies ne sont pas des evenements exceptionnels au cours d'une vie (d'autres sont a prevoir);2) les pandemies anterieures sont riches en enseignements, il ne faut pas les negliger;3) les etiquettes attribuees aux pandemies ont une grande importance;4) l'infodemie sanitaire va se poursuivre et il faut apprendre a composer avec;5) l'incertitude est un facteur de stress abstrait qui s'insinue dans tous les aspects d'une pandemie, du debut a la fin;6) les pandemies sont des evenements dynamiques : il est inutile de presumer des modeles statiques d'emotions, d'attitudes ou de comportements;7) les pandemies peuvent entrainer des reactions psychologiques extremes;8) le confinement nuit a la sante mentale : d'autres solutions doivent etre envisagees et evaluees;9) la resilience est la norme;10) une minorite importante de survivants d'une pandemie aura toutefois besoin de services de soins en sante mentale;11) l'epuisement des professionnels de la sante est un probleme grave, mais pour lequel il existe des solutions;12) les services de soins en sante mentale doivent etre offerts au-dela de la salle de consultation;13) il faut agir de maniere proactive sur le plan des preparatifs et de la maitrise des pandemies;14) la psychologie doit jouer un plus grand role dans les preparatifs et la gestion des pandemies. En plus de presenter des enseignements, le present article fait ressortir leur utilite pour la gestion de futures pandemies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Significance Statement-It was not until the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that communities and health authorities began to truly appreciate the importance of psychology in the spreading versus containment of pandemic-related disease, distress, and social disruption. Various psychological interventions play a vital role in pandemic management, including community messaging strategies to promote adherence to health guidelines, as well as e-health psychotherapy resources. This article distills 14 lessons learned from COVID-19 and past pandemics to prepare for managing future pandemics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Developing digital approaches for adolescents and young adults with autism and learning disabilities: Tools to facilitate access and shared decision-making

Aims: Digital living is now an integral part of many children and young people's (CYP) everyday experience. Practitioners who work with them are increasingly focused on effectively deploying technology to help those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. Throughout all aspects and phases of work, practitioners must adhere to legal and professional best practice standards in involving service users, person-centred working and in enhancing accessibility for all. Methods: Measures introduced to reduce the spread of Covid-19 triggered significant service delivery change in a specialist multi-disciplinary child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) team. The majority of assessment and intervention work moved to an online audio and web conferencing platform. A shared decision-making approach was developed to support service user understanding of online appointments and to giving informed consent, in line with the i-THRIVE Framework for system change (Wolpert et al., 2019). Three Guides were developed and distributed ahead of online appointments: written, easy-read and video. Findings: Data collected within a Quality Improvement (QI) framework indicated that the Guides supported practitioners to prepare service users, as well as themselves, for digital working. The Guides supported service access, collaborative decision-making and increased CYP autonomy. Their introduction also led to conversations about equity and cultural responsiveness, as well as serving as a model for the development of aids to support shared decision-making for autism diagnostic assessments. Limitations: This paper outlines the first phase of the QI project with a small participant sample and requires further engagement with service users to review the use of Guides and shared decision-making decision aids. Conclusions: Digital approaches present new possibilities and are rapidly changing service delivery across CAMHS. The importance of involving service users in shared decision-making when developing digital practices must be held in mind as part of this change process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Meeting the needs of children through telemental health: Application for rural mental health using child-parent relationship therapy

Children living in rural communities can have higher levels of mental health needs due to limited access to developmentally appropriate care. Often the lack of play therapy training or access to mental health resources makes it difficult for children or families in rural areas to receive care. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has forced virtual methods of service delivery to increase around the world, which provide opportunities for mental health professionals to reach rural communities and families. Child-Parent Relationship Therapy offers healing to families through strengthening the child-parent relationship. Recommendations are provided to successfully facilitate Child-Parent Relationship Therapy virtually to rural communities in need. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The need for mental health resources in schools: A survey of needs conducted with school principals

Mental health in children has been defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as reaching developmental and emotional milestones, learning healthy social skills and learning how to cope when there are problems (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Mental health in children is a crucial component of overall health and an important predictor of their ability to thrive and succeed in school and to lead productive lives as adults later. Children and adolescents spend most of their days in school and schools often serve as primary locations for the delivery of mental health services for them (Adelman & Taylor, 2010). While current literature documents several school based services that are in place to address the mental health needs in children, there are gaps that lie between the student mental health needs evinced the services in place and the need for better and more comprehensive measures to address them. The current Covid-19 pandemic has served to complicate matters further and has served to render the topic of mental health awareness and access to mental health services in schools more salient. The principle investigator utilized a qualitative method guided by a Grounded Theory approach to explore school principal perspectives on the need for and access to mental health resources within schools. The PI interviewed a total of 20 school administrators using a semi structured interview protocol consisting of 26 questions. Data analysis involved coding interview content guided by open coding, axial coding and selective coding processes outlined by Strauss and Corbin's (1990) qualitative approach. Interview data explored school administrator perceptions across the following areas: The perception of violence in schools, factors involved, Mental health in schools, Principal training and experience, Principal role in schools, Staffing in schools and staff training, Funding for mental health in schools, Barriers that prevent optimal access to mental health in schools, Impact of Covid-19 on schools, Principal aspirations for growth in the field of mental health in future. These data offer preliminary evaluation of current perspectives and practices involving access to mental health in schools and may provide implications for consideration in future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Undergraduate students' perspectives on mental health services, resources, and supports during COVID-19: A qualitative dissertation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased isolation from supportive relationships, uncertainty about the future, fear of illness, and lack of traditional life-events took a toll on university student mental health. It is important to understand undergraduate students' mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and their desires for support from their institutions of higher education. Existing studies have documented increased rates of depression, stress, and anxiety among university undergraduates;however, these studies rarely illuminate students' perspectives on mental health services, resources, and supports that they need during and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of undergraduate university students on the need of university-provided mental health services, resources, and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2020-December 2020. To that end, the central research question addressed by this dissertation is "How can an urban, public university in the southeastern United States support undergraduate student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic?" The two sub-research questions are (1) "What do undergraduate students state that they need/want from their institution of higher education to support their mental health?" and (2) "Which of the student requests to address their mental health needs are currently available and how can we increase their visibility, accessibility, and use?" To answer these questions, the following data were analyzed (1) qualitative student survey data (n=491), (2) student semi-structured interviews (n=48), and (3) documentation of mental health services, resources, and supports available over time. Analysis of qualitative data collected through surveys and interviews followed the procedure outlined by Moustakis (1994). After laying the foundation with the literature review, content analysis was used to analyze survey data, thematic analysis was used for interview data, and documentation gathering strategies were used to create recommendations to support student mental health through the continuation of relevant services and increasing the visibility, accessibility, and use of existing services, resources, and supports. These findings may facilitate the connection of undergraduate student voices with university administrators leading to the provision of better access to mental health resources, services, and supports. As undergraduate student mental health is better supported, academic outcomes may improve. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Contingency plan of the Clinical Management Unit for Psychiatry and Mental Health (CMUPMH) of the Infanta Cristina University Hospital (ICUH) for the COVID-19 pandemic

The letter briefs about the strategic steps taken by the Spanish government for the COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation led the Spanish government to decree a state of alarm in March 2020, including a renewable lockdown which, together with the experiences of stress generated by infection, isolation and grieving, are setting off reactions of anxiety, acute stress or aggravation of existing mental problems. Strategic guidelines are planned for three phases: an initial phase during the emergency, a second phase during the reopening, and a final phase of new normality, with different areas of action in each. Those phases could correspond to the different levels of risk established by the Ministry of Health depending on the epidemiological outlook. The Plan has followed the indications and strategic guidelines set out in the ROCMHA Guide. Changing scenarios make new organization of health care necessary at all levels of intervention. The CMUPMH has shown itself to be flexible and permeable during the pandemic, by reassigning functions and modifying procedures. Psychiatrists have acted as general practitioners, and Emotional Support Programmes have been set up for professionals and for family members. Homeworking and telemedicine have been introduced. Having a Contingency Plan for use in emergency situations enables us to prepare for new challenges and to anticipate changes, providing care for the most vulnerable sections of the population under the principles of equity, universality, efficiency and quality. Drawing up this plan enables us to identify a set of measures and concrete steps in response to any states of emergency that might occur in the future, turning a crisis into an opportunity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

We're not in Kansas anymore: Reimagining a new yellow brick road for treating youth and their families in the peri- and post-pandemic periods

The COVID-19 viral pandemic is a ferocious force savaging millions of lives in its wake. Many experts predict a major mental health aftershock due to the myriad disruptions of daily life. Mental health providers and systems will need to reengineer treatment paradigms and delivery models. This article advocates for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based modular, transdiagnostic, principle-guided, and single-session treatment approaches to be used in integrated pediatric primary care clinics as ways to meet the swelling behavioral health needs of youth and families. The value of integrated pediatric behavioral health and stepped care paradigms is championed. Furthermore, multiple recommendations for practice, training, service delivery, workforce development, public behavioral health literacy, and advocacy in the next normal are described. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement COVID-19 represents an unprecedented public health crisis and is expected to result in large increases in referrals for pediatric behavioral health concerns. Existing mental health practices, procedures, and systems were caught unprepared by the viral outbreak. Accordingly, a new direction for service delivery which relies on modular brief treatments, integrated care, greater workforce development, and advocacy is needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)