Each mental health discipline offers unique contributions to the developmen
t and operation of school-based mental health programs. The collaboration o
f professionals from different disciplines with each other, as well as with
health and educational staff, is essential for service delivery in school
settings. Conversely interprofessional conflicts and turf issues can impede
the development of effective school-based mental health programs. The auth
ors, who represent counseling, nursing, psychiatry, psychology and social w
ork, discuss the roles and competencies of each profession in providing sch
ool-based mental health services. Training requirements within each discipl
ine that relate to school mental health are described Barriers to effective
interdisciplinary collaboration, and methods of overcoming them, are delin
eated.