The daily report card (DRC) is a commonly used behavioral intervention in which teachers rate child performance on target goals and parents provide home rewards based on the child's performance. The current study investigated associations between child externalizing problems, empathy, and specific components of the DRC: (1) types of DRC goals that…

Facilitating success for students with behavioral health challenges requires effective collaboration among professionals from traditionally disparate systems (e.g., education, health, and mental health). The current investigation describes a case-study implementation of a school-based learning collaborative model and explores its effectiveness in…

Traumatic events are becoming more prevalent in youth, especially considering the increase in disaster exposure, impacting the wellbeing and mental health of youth. Youth in rural communities are more adversely impacted due to a lack of access to available support and services. Interventions geared toward treating traumatic stress are needed for…

A classroom guidance curriculum following the dialectical behavior therapy skills training for emotion problem solving for adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) was evaluated using a pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design. Data from 94 ninth-grade students (42 treatment, 52 control) enrolled in a rural high school were analyzed via…

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based intervention to treat post-traumatic stress disorder among youth ages 3-18 years old. In this pilot study, 31 clinicians in 13 urban public schools received TF-CBT training to improve access to high-quality trauma treatment for youth in need. A mixed methods design was used…

This study examines differential effects of the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program on behavioral and academic outcomes of middle school students. Researchers administered screenings to grade 6 students to assess traumatic stress and then randomized those with elevated levels to the CBITS treatment (n = 150; 47%…

Both behavioral and pharmacological interventions have short-term efficacy for reducing symptomology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, intervention effects typically dissipate once interventions are removed. Scholars have advocated for a life-course model of intervention to sustain outcomes for students with ADHD. This…

Most adolescent depression prevention programs have been tested in the USA and other Anglo-Saxon countries. Their effects in other contexts are less clear. We conducted a pilot trial aimed at testing the effectiveness of the Blues program, a brief indicated cognitive-behavioral (CB) group program to prevent depression originally developed in the…

The negative consequences for victims and perpetrators of school violence are significant, multifaceted and, if left unchecked, can have personal costs that may last well into their adult lives. Universal violence preventive interventions may not be sufficiently effective in mitigating problems among middle school youth who exhibit risk of violent…

Selective mutism (SM) is a rare anxiety disorder that impairs children's daily functioning, often during critical periods of early development. Given that schools are a common setting for mutism, it is vital that school-based practitioners are knowledgeable of recent advances in the SM treatment literature. Unfortunately, the literature base is…

This study evaluated the effects of teacher adherence to behavioral treatment on student outcomes. Eighty-four children (ages 7-11) completed a 12-week, collaborative school-home behavioral intervention designed for youth with significant attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and impairment. Teacher adherence was assessed via school…

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) remains the only evidenced-based psychosocial treatment for pediatric anxiety. Adoption of CBT in community settings has been slow, and data on CBT use in schools specifically are limited. This study examined: (1) school-based clinicians' perceptions of their treatment approach for pediatric anxiety disorders,…

Preschoolers with elevated anxiety symptoms are at high risk not only of developing more severe mental health disorders in later life but are also apt to respond more poorly to intervention if they present with comorbid disruptive behavior. Because early signs of anxiety disorders may not be recognized as such in preschool settings, many children…

Systematic literature reviews have supported the effectiveness of behavioral Tier 2 interventions, with research being particularly plentiful in relation to Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) and social skills training (SST). Though findings indicate either approach is effective in isolation, a recent study suggested these approaches might be particularly…

A multisite cluster-randomized trial (by school) was conducted to examine the effects of a combined mental health literacy and dialectical behavior therapy skills program implemented by teachers on three protective factors related to social and emotional well-being. The sample of eight schools that were randomly assigned to intervention included…