Effective School‐Based Mental Health Interventions: Advancing the Social Skills Training Paradigm

Abstract

Psychotherapeutic interventions with children have not been as successful in practice as laboratory studies suggest. Two weaknesses frequently cited include the failure of treatment gains to generalize to other times and settings and the lack of individualization. Although social skills interventions have inherent appeal and appear appropriate to address many of the social and emotional problems encountered by children and youth, they have not demonstrated effectiveness despite their widespread use. This article outlines four steps to improve social skills interventions that take advantage of the unique environments of schools and increase the likelihood that social skills interventions can achieve individualization and generalization.

Learning efficacy and user acceptance of a game-based social skills learning environment

“…The psychological distress of not forming lasting relationships can contribute to social isolation, reduced self-esteem, mental health problems and impact on quality of life (Beauchamp & Anderson, 2010;Evans, Axelrod, & Sapia, 2000). Simply put, social competence is a powerful predictor of school adjustment, success in school and later success in life (Meadan & Monda-Amaya, 2008).…”

“…Unlike targeted interventions designed for at-risk children, universal interventions are intended to typically impact a large population of students. It is without question that schools represent the most important setting in the lives of children for them to establish skills in initiating and maintaining interpersonal relationships and developing skills that are crucial for peer acceptance (Evans et al, 2000;Gresham, 1988).…”

Sustained Effects of the PATHS Curriculum on the Social and Psychological Adjustment of Children in Special Education

“…in the hallways, lunchroom, playground, and buses. A central research area would be to examine the effectiveness of preventive interventions (such as PATHS) using a comprehensive classroom-wide/school-wide intervention approach that would focus on cross-setting generalization and have greater ecological validity (discussed in Evans, Axelrod, & Sapia, 2000;Sheridan, Hungelmann, & Maughan, 1999).…”

Academic and School Health Issues Among Children Exposed to Maternal Intimate Partner Abuse

“…5,[22][23][24] Our findings on the relative frequency with which IPV-exposed children visit school nurses, combined with the recognition that school health services are important sites for prevention programs, delineate a path for future intervention programs and evaluative research. [25][26][27][28] Because of the relatively small number of IPVexposed children who had also experienced child abuse, the conclusions we can draw about their academic problems and school health services use are limited. We did find an increased likelihood of injury-related visits among this group; however, it is possible that this outcome could be a consequence of the abuse itself.…”