A pilot study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a coordinated intervention design to address treatment engagement challenges in school mental health services

Publication date: October 2019Source: Journal of School Psychology, Volume 76Author(s): Kimberly D. Becker, Alayna L. Park, Maya M. Boustani, Bruce F. ChorpitaAbstractTreatment engagement is a significant challenge in school mental health services. Despite a growing evidence base on effective interventions for treatment engagement, attempts to address these challenges rarely leverage the available relevant research. To close this gap, this pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and initial implementation outcomes of a coordinated knowledge system (CKS) designed to support the efforts of school mental health (SMH) professionals to address treatment engagement challenges. A sample of four supervisors and their supervisees (n = 17) with master's of social work degrees serving youth within an urban SMH program were randomly assigned to either (a) a CKS condition that offered a unified set of resources to structure decisions about treatment engagement or (b) a survey plus practice guidelines (SPG) condition, in which resources were provided without an explicit model for their coordinated use. Feasibility was assessed quantitatively, acceptability was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively, and initial implementation outcomes were evaluated using a behavioral observation coding system. Results provided strong support for the feasibility and acceptability of the study design, instrumentation, and interventions. It appears that the CKS can be feasibly implemented...

Source: Journal of School Psychology - August 8, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research