Linking Mental Health and After School Systems for Children in Urban Poverty: Preventing Problems, Promoting Possibilities

Abstract

The current mental health system is failing to meet the extensive needs of children living in urban poverty. After school programs, whose mission includes children's socialization, peer relations, and adaptive functioning, are uniquely positioned to support and promote children's healthy development. We propose that public sector mental health resources can be reallocated to support after school settings, and we offer specific examples and recommendations from an ongoing federally funded program of research to illustrate how mental health consultation can support publicly funded after school programs. In light of the increasing needs and depleting [corrected] resources of urban, poor communities, consultation to publicly funded after school programs can contribute to the mental health goals of keeping children safe and supervised, promoting their healthy development through academically and socially enriching activities, and identifying children in need of more intensive mental health services.

Rebooting Psychotherapy Research and Practice to Reduce the Burden of Mental Illness

“…We have elsewhere proposed a model for mental health promotion at the universal level that enhances the natural synergy between community settings and mental health (Cappella, Frazier, Atkins, Schoenwald, & Glisson, 2008;Frazier, Cappella, & Atkins, 2007). Shifting prevention to natural settings (e.g., schools, park districts, community centers) makes sense for two primary reasons.…”

Peer-Assisted Social Learning In Urban After-School Programs

“…Community-based after-school programs (ASPs) provide unique and critical opportunities to infuse social learning into natural routines and activities (Frazier, Cappella, & Atkins, 2007) yet efforts that overburden ASP staff or utilize an external or grant-funded workforce for intervention implementation limit generalizability of the effects and sustainability of evidence-based practices (Atkins, Graczyk, Frazier, & Adil, 2003;Lyon, Frazier, Mehta, Atkins, & Weisbach, 2011). PeerAssisted Learning (PAL) activities mobilize peers as agents of change, thereby leveraging indigenous resources by relying on competent children to serve as both positive models and rehearsal partners for less-competent children, and in turn limiting the demands placed on staff members.…”

“…Investigators met several times over 18 months with the program director and site staff, to identify areas of strength and need, and clarify goals for collaboration. Initial meetings emphasized relationship building and sharing expertise (i.e., scholarly and local knowledge; Frazier et al, 2007), to enhance engagement of both university and community partners (DuBois et al, 2011).…”

“…In an effort to reach out and serve at-risk youth, researchers have argued that community-based after-school programs (ASPs) represent a missed opportunity to infuse enrichment activities with mental health promoting practices (Frazier et al, 2007). Most local ASPs seek to improve child health, education, and social development through the services they provide, perhaps reflecting the well-documented unmet needs of the communities they serve (Harrison et al, 2004;Kataoka et al, 2002).…”

“…There exists a growing movement in the field of children's mental health services to think innovatively about how to reach those who fall into the need-to-service gap by thinking beyond the conventions of traditional intervention development and evaluation (e.g., Hoagwood et al, 2002). Specifically, contemporary researchers have sought to infuse evidence-based mental health practices into everyday non-academic settings where children spend time, particularly in community-based organizations that do not provide mental health services (Frazier et al, 2007;Rusch, Frazier, & Atkins, 2014). In other words, the introduction of evidence-based models or practices into non-mental health service settings, like after-school programs or summer camps, may be sufficient to reduce some risk for future mental health problems.…”