School-Based Outpatient Program

N-PSY-T proposes a School-Based Outpatient Program (SBOS) that integrates elements of Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services to support children and youth who are underserved in Charter Schools, Remedial Disciplinary programs and Comprehensive High Schools.

Research on school-based service delivery models in the Philadelphia community indicate a need to service students who attend Charter Schools, Remedial Disciplinary programs and in High School Placements, particularly those students attending schools identified as Persistently Dangerous Schools under the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, data collected as a psychological services provider for Charter Schools and Remedial Disciplinary programs indicates that students with significant behavioral and mental health needs have limited options and resources because school-based staff have limited knowledge of the mental health system, school-based staff have limited time to complete the referral and follow-up necessary to connect students and families to mental health/behavioral services and finally, some families may be resistant to services and need additional engagement and support to engage them in the recovery and treatment process. As a result, students who attend these programs tend to have limited access to the mental health system to address their complex issues, which means their behaviors continue to regress due to the lack of available interventions in their school environments

N-PSY-T’s School-Based Outpatient Services program offers schools designated as Persistently Dangerous Schools support with the referral and case management of students with behavioral/mental health needs. Specifically, SBOS can be used as a behavioral intervention for students in the pre-referral process or Comprehensive Student Assistance Process which is a mandated service for educational institutions.

The SBOS program will be a Tier II and Tier III intervention. As a Tier II Intervention, the SBOS can be used as a resource for educational programs with students, who exhibit truant behaviors, acute and chronic behavioral concerns, students referred for court diversion, students who have significant life issues which may compromise their level of functioning such as trauma, parents in recovery or who are incarcerated, those who experience long-term homelessness, those who are aging out of the foster care system, those who are being referred to disciplinary or alternative programs, as well as, students who are stepping down from a higher level of mental health care.

As a Tier III intervention, the SBOS program can provide additional wrap-around supports for students and families who need more comprehensive services to meet their needs and address their underlying issues. Tier III services include: case management, home visits and family counseling in addition to the school-based interventions designed the universal needs for all students. Furthermore, the SBOS serves as an adjunctive support for Charter Schools who often rely on progressive discipline models and Pre-Referral Interventions to manage students with behavioral/mental health needs. The SBOS program provides a release valve for educational programs who are considering disciplinary transfers or expulsion from school, which is usually the option posed to parents by Charter Schools, when all else fails. Contact N-Psy-T for further program details.

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