Collaborative Mental Health for Children: Perspectives of School and Clinical Psychologists

There is a need for increased collaboration between mental health providers who work with children and youth to increase continuity of care across settings. While schools can be an optimal location for mental health support, school psychologists often have to work with clinical providers given the increases in youth mental health needs and the shortage of school-based providers. This study used an online survey with a mixed-methods approach to understand the collaboration practices of school and clinical psychologists. A sample of 57 practitioners in the United States were asked to provide their perceptions of the roles of their interagency providers, their collaboration practices, and the benefits or barriers in the collaboration process. Findings indicated differences in providers' perceptions of the quality of assessments conducted and the importance of particular psychological practices to the roles of clinical and school psychologists. Content analysis of open-ended responses found that while providers acknowledge the benefits of collaboration there was distrust among providers. Implications for training programs and future research directions are discussed. Impact and Implications This study outlines school and clinical psychologists perceptions of the benefits and barriers to collaboration across settings. Differences in role expectations and perceived quality of work may influence feelings of distrust among providers.