Bridging Mental Health and Education in Urban Elementary Schools: Participatory Research to Inform Intervention Development

Guided by participatory research and implementation science, we conducted a two-phase study to contextualize a school mental health intervention for its implementation settings. Drawing from research and existing programs, we created a teacher consultation and coaching intervention delivered by indigenous school and community mental health professionals to increase effective classroom interactions for children with behavioral difficulties and their classmates. Administrators, classroom teachers, and mental health professionals from one community agency and five urban elementary schools participated. Phase I involved analysis of qualitative data from collaborative research to inform refinement to training, content, delivery, and supervision. Phase H involved analysis of mixed method implementation data from a pilot experimental trial of the adapted program. Overall aims were to integrate mental health and teacher support models into a feasible and relevant program for the urban school community context. Implications of the research framework for school psychology and prevention science are discussed.