Piloting a clinical mental health process in the intermediate school setting

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for increased adolescent mental health support in the school setting. This evidence-based quality improvement project aimed to determine if implementing a clinical mental health pathway increases the number of mental health screenings completed and increases school nurse practitioners' comfort and confidence in completing mental health screenings. A Mental Health Toolkit was developed to include program-specific management recommendations, a school collaboration flowsheet, and educational and community resources for the nurse practitioner, students, and school community. The 15-week pilot intervention was evaluated using quantitative pre-and post-survey and qualitative interviews. The intervention increased the number of depression screenings performed compared to the previous school year. In addition, the post-intervention interview provided clarity to the persistent system-level and clinic-level barriers and provided personal insights into performing mental health screenings within the school setting. This pilot project allowed the nurse practitioner to model the normalization of mental health discussions. It also provided an opportunity for increased collaboration between the nurse practitioner and school partners, which can substantially impact adolescent mental health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)