1. The University of Alabama Marriage and Family Therapy Program and Hillcrest High School Partnership
Jordan Poquette: Marriage and Family Therapy, Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Faculty Advisor: Blake Berryhill Ph.D., LMFT
Abstract
.
Adolescent Mental Health Needs
Conclusion
• Less than half of adolescents with psychiatric disorders
received any kind of treatment in the past year.(Costello, E. J.,
He, J. P., Sampson, N. A., Kessler, R. C., & Merikangas, K. R.
(2013).
• 50% of children and adolescents who need mental health
services go untreated (Carr, 2009).
• Only 38%of adolescents who experienced a major depressive
episode received treatment for depression in the last year
(Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014.)
• Began in 2015 as an opportunity for students and families to receive mental
health services.
• Marriage and Family Therapy Student Interns provide free on-site school-based
individual and family therapy to Hillcrest High School’s students and families.
The untreated mental health needs of children and their families
have become a national health crisis. The most commonly cited
mental health issues for both male and female students across
elementary, middle, and high school levels are social,
interpersonal, and family issues, yet only 58% of schools
reported providing “Family Support Services.” Schools are in a
unique position to offer screening and mental health services to
families and children who would otherwise not have access. The
focus of this poster is to provide a rationale for school-based
family therapy services, and to present the partnership between
the University of Alabama (UA) Marriage and Family Therapy
(MFT) Program and Hillcrest High School (HCHS). In order to
increase student outcomes, student therapists are providing
school based therapy services to at-risk students and their
families.
• Incorporating mental health resources within the Hillcrest High
School community has provided students and families the
opportunity to access convenient, accessible, and free on-site
school-based family therapy services.
• School-based family therapy links families with mental health
intervention resources that will benefit the entire family system.
• The presence of a mental health clinician, present on the Hillcrest
High School campus, raises awareness to mental health.
Rationale for School-Based
Family Therapy
• The most commonly cited mental health issues for both male
and female students across elementary, middle, and high school
levels are social, interpersonal, and family issues, yet only 58%
of schools reported providing “Family Support Services”
(Hollands et al., 2014).
• Family therapy is effective for child and adolescent behavioral
and emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, conduct
problems, drug abuse, etc.; Carr, 2009).
• Untreated mental health disorders in children and adolescents
lead to school failure, unemployment, drug abuse, and suicide
(Kataoka et al., 2002).
• Students who drop out of school are more likely to have poorer
physical health and suffer from depression during their lifetime
(Belfield & Levin, 2007; Liem et al. 2001).
Description of Hillcrest High School Partnership
Effectiveness of School-Based Family Therapy
(Rambo & Boyd, 2009)
Goals of Partnership
Potential Future Research
• Effectiveness of school-based family therapy.
• Relationship between student age/grade level and therapeutic
success.
• Student perception on relationship with school administrators
(principals) and its impact on therapeutic outcomes.
• Impact of culture on school-based therapeutic outcomes.
• Impact of school climate on therapeutic outcomes.
References
Carr, A. (2009). The effectiveness of family therapy and systemic
interventions for child‐focused problems. Journal of Family
Therapy, 31(1), 3-45.
Costello, E. J., He, J. P., Sampson, N. A., Kessler, R. C., &
Merikangas, K. R. (2013). Services for adolescents with
psychiatric disorders: 12-month data from the National
Comorbidity Survey–Adolescent. Psychiatric Services, 65(3),
359-366
Hollands, F., Bowden, A. B., Belfield, C., Levin, H. M., Cheng, H.,
Shand, R., & ... Hanisch-Cerda, B. (2014). Cost-effectiveness
analysis in practice: Interventions to improve high school
completion. Educational Evaluation And Policy Analysis, 36(3),
307-326.
Kataoka, S. H., Zhang, L., & Wells, K. B. (2002). September).
Unmet need for mental health care among U.S. children: Variation
by ethnicity and insurance status. American Journal of Psychiatry,
159, 1548–1555.
Rambo, A., & Boyd, B. (2009, October). MFTs in school settings:
Getting in and doing well. Paper presented at the annual
conference of the American Association of Marriage and Family
Therapy, Sacramento, CA.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014).
Behavioral health barometer. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration.
School Based
Family Therapy
85%
Increased Academic
Achievement
92%
Completed
Classwork and
Home more
Regularly
91%
Improved
Attendance Records
• Provides accessible mental health services for
Hillcrest High School students and families who
would not otherwise seek services.
Increase Student and Family
Access to Mental Health
Services
• Free on-site school-based mental health services is
convenient for students and families.
• Free on-site services at the school can potentially
reduce the stigma of receiving mental health
services.
Provide Convenient and
Affordable Mental Health
Services
• Working with parents, school counselors, teachers,
and other school personnel provides comprehensive
care for students to achieve the best possible
outcomes.
Establish Multi-Disciplinary
Treatment Teams for
Student Success