Session: The Impact of Settings on Delivery of School Mental Health Services and Supports (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

Delivery of school mental health services and supports is strongly influenced by the specific type of school setting in which delivery takes place. This symposium is thus designed to illustrate how school settings can influence school mental health service delivery. Paper One (Ober, Wolfer, & Iachini) uses grounded theory to better understand how rural contexts shape school mental health professionals practice and specifically the skills they use to navigate the challenges they face. Paper Two (Shapiro, Dixon, Collier, Wang, & Corbin) examines reach and implementation of evidence-based parenting interventions in elementary school settings using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Paper Three (Shapiro, Corbin, Dixon, Collier, & Wang) uses a case study approach to explore similarities and differences in implementation of evidence-based parenting supports in middle and high school settings, as compared to delivery of similar supports in elementary school settings. Lessons learned from these three studies collectively enhances awareness of how school context influences delivery of school mental health services and supports and has important implications for school social work workforce education and preparation.