Family involvement in expanded school mental health

Expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs address the limitations of tr aditional mental health agencies in meeting the needs of youth by providing a full range of services in a familiar and nonstigmatizing setting. Becaus e of the central role families play in the lives of children, their involve ment in ESMH can enhance the effectiveness of treatments and ensure that se rvices are responsive to the needs of the larger community. Increasing fami ly involvement, however, is a complex and resource-intensive endeavor and r equires consideration of the goals of the ESMH program and potential obstac les to meeting those goals. The challenges of involving family members in E SMH, guidelines for determining the program's goals with respect to family involvement, and strategies for achieving these goals are described. Underl ying the strategies is the need to be flexible, creative, and respectful of the beliefs and concerns of the families served by the ESMH program.