Tough Transitions: Mental Health Care Professionals' Perception of the Psychiatric Hospital to School Transition

Elements of Successful School Reentry After Psychiatric Hospitalization

“…Understanding the barriers and the assets for students reentering school can serve as the foundation for improving their experience. The findings presented in this article reflect a portion of a larger investigation that explored multiple aspects of mental health professionals' perceptions of adolescents' experience reentering school after psychiatric hospitalization (Clemens et al, 2010).…”

“…Thus, it is the role of the reentry coordinator to facilitate the development of a plan that includes attention to the academic, social, and emotional needs of a student (Clemens et al, 2010) and use a multidisciplinary team to design and implement specific interventions to meet students' transition needs (Simon & Savina, 2010). Although it may not be not be feasible for all stakeholders to meet simultaneously (e.g., psychiatrist, inpatient therapist, case manager, outpatient therapist, school personnel, family) given that the psychiatric hospital to school transition happens quickly, each of their expertise can be drawn upon when creating a reentry plan for students.…”

“…However, attending to the process of reintegrating to school is critical because researchers have found that the transition back to school after psychiatric hospitalization can be overwhelming for students (Clemens et al, 2010), and psychological distress can negatively affect educational achieveAddress correspondence to Elysia V. Clemens, University of Northern Colorado, Department of Counselor Education and Supervision, Campus Box 131, Greeley, CO 80639, USA. E-mail: elysia.clemens@unco.edu ment (Becker & Luthar, 2002).…”

Evaluation of a school-based transition program designed to facilitate school reentry following a mental health crisis or psychiatric hospitalization

“…Due to short inpatient stays and a lack of complementary supports, teens requiring inpatient treatment for a major mental illness or substance abuse are now frequently discharged before they are stabilized; in some cases, they may not be admitted at all (Blader, ; Case, Olfson, Marcus, & Siegel, ; Dolan & Fein, ). Complicating this further, there is typically little time between a student's discharge from a psychiatric hospitalization and their return to school (Clemens, Welfare, & Williams, ). Returning students face difficulties in functioning, risk of relapse, and are vulnerable to academic failure and social isolation.…”

“…Researchers have documented the challenges schools face in meeting the needs of these students, given the already limited mental health resources in public schools. School reintegration for adolescents returning from a psychiatric hospitalization is fraught with both perceived and actual challenges that disrupt regular routines (Clemens et al., ; Savina, Simon, & Lester, ; Simon & Savina, , ). Balkin and Roland () found that to successfully reacclimatize to their usual environment following discharge from an acute psychiatric hospitalization, adolescents needed psychoeducational support to develop their coping skills.…”