School Mental Health Program (SMHP)
Equip Every Adult in the Building to Recognize and Respond to Mental Health Needs.
REACH School Mental Health training gives teachers, counselors, psychologists, administrators, and other school support staff the scientifically proven tools to identify struggling students early and intervene before a challenge becomes a crisis.
WHO IT’S FOR
Designed for the School Staff Who See Children Every Day
SMHP is built for teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and administrators — the adults who are often the first to notice when a child is struggling. SMHP is organized through school systems and districts committed to equipping their staff with practical, evidence-based mental health skills for the classroom and beyond.
Schools are often where mental health challenges first become visible — and school staff are frequently the first adults in a position to act.
This training gives educators and school staff the evidence-based tools to identify students at risk, manage behavioral challenges, and support the mental health needs of the children in their care.
Training is customized for the unique needs of a school and covers any combination of three core areas:
1 Classroom management
Practical strategies to reduce behavioral problems and improve learning environments.
2Early Identification
Proven methods for spotting children at risk for behavioral and emotional difficulties before problems escalate.
3 Effective intervention
Cognitive behavioral strategies for use by school support staff with students presenting with anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, and trauma.
Schedule a Training
REACH offers customized school mental health training
for groups of 15 or more educators and school staff.
Visit our Group Training page to learn more about scheduling a training
for your school or district.
Schools Trained. Students Better Supported.
Hear from the educators, counselors, and school leaders who have brought REACH School Mental Health training to their buildings and seen the difference it makes for students.
“Some of the most valuable things in this course are the interventions provided and the discussions on how to implement each intervention. The REACH trainers also take the time to get to know the participants and the information is presented in an interactive way.”
— Behavior Specialist
Brunswick County Schools, NC
“I really appreciated that the presenters have had experience working in the school setting. It was really helpful to hear the presenters’ real life examples of students that they’ve worked with, and makes me feel more confident in the ability to use these strategies in my own work in schools.”
– School Social Worker
Pender County Schools, NC
“The guidance and education I have obtained on mental health issues during this course has truly empowered me. The Mental Health Toolkit will be a valuable resource and awesome to review it with the knowledgeable staff and other school nurses.”
– School Nurse
Virginia
School Mental Health Training Questions Answered
Everything school staff, administrators, and district leaders need to know about REACH’s School Mental Health Program.
The REACH School Mental Health Program (SMHP) is a science-backed training designed to equip school staff — teachers, counselors, psychologists, and administrators — with the tools to identify at-risk students early, manage behavioral challenges effectively, and connect students to evidence-based support. It is delivered to groups of 15 or more and can be organized by school systems and districts.
SMHP is built for any school staff member who works with children — including classroom teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and building administrators. The program is layered: some content applies to all school staff, while deeper clinical content is tailored for psychologists and counselors working directly with students.
SMHP covers three core areas: classroom management strategies that reduce behavioral problems and improve learning environments; proven tools for identifying children at risk for behavioral and emotional problems; and evidence-based therapy programs for school psychologists and counselors supporting students with anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, and trauma.
The Action Signs Toolkit is a unique REACH resource that helps teachers and school staff recognize warning signs in students who may be at risk for mental health challenges. It is practical, easy to use, and designed specifically for non-clinical school staff. The toolkit is available as a free download, with a license to use it in your school.
SMHP is delivered as a customized group training for schools and districts with 10 or more participants. REACH works with your institution to schedule and deliver the program in a format that fits your staff and calendar. Contact our Group Training team to discuss delivery options — including on-site and virtual formats.
SMHP is grounded in the same rigorous, evidence-based science that underlies REACH’s clinical training for healthcare clinicians — adapted specifically for the school environment. It equips both non-clinical staff and licensed mental health professionals in the same building, creating a shared language and a more coordinated, effective response to student mental health needs.
SMHP participants receive mental health screening tools designed for school settings, the Action Signs Toolkit, and supporting materials for both classroom application and clinical use. School psychologists and counselors also receive evidence-based therapy frameworks for use with students directly.
Visit REACH’s Group Training page to learn more about scheduling an SMHP for your school or district. SMHP is available for groups of 15 or more. Our team will work with you to identify the right training configuration, timeline, and delivery format for your institution.
Yes. Join the SMHP waitlist to be notified when new training opportunities become available. You can sign up directly on this page. If you’re looking to organize a group training for your school or district, contact our Group Training team directly to get started.
Still Have Questions?
Our team is ready to help — whether you’re a teacher, a counselor, or
a district leader looking to bring REACH training to your school.
Additional Resources
Download the Action Signs Toolkit — free, with a school use license.
Why Can’t This Kid Sleep? (Teen Edition)
Alana, age 17, comes into your office complaining that she can’t sleep at night and struggles to stay awake during school. If she can, she sleeps until noon or later on weekends. “Diagnosis of sleep disorders is often easier with teens than with younger children, as long as you ask the right questions,” said Robert Kowatch, MD, a REACH faculty member who is a pediatric sleep expert at Ohio State University Medical Center/Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Why Can’t This Kid Sleep?
Alana, age 17, comes in complaining that she is tired all the time and struggles to stay awake during school. Or perhaps it’s six-year-old Miko, whose mother tells you that Miko avoids going to bed and often gets up in the middle of the night. Miko says he doesn’t feel sleepy, but his teachers say he is often inattentive and sometimes quarrelsome. The most common sleep problems among young patients are these and other forms of insomnia or insufficient sleep, according to REACH faculty member Robert Kowatch, MD …
GLAD-PC Toolkit Is Here to Help You Treat Depression
The new edition of Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC) is now available on The REACH Institute website. This practical toolkit offers dozens of resources to help pediatric primary care providers diagnose and treat depression.
How to Manage School Refusal
Ryan, age 12, has missed almost three weeks of school so far. He complains of nausea and headache most school days and has to be cajoled into getting out of bed, but his mother says he is fine on weekends. The mother, who is eight months pregnant, is frantic; she can’t afford to take any more time off work before she delivers. School refusal can have serious consequences. On the short term, the child falls behind academically, both the child and the family experience disruption and distress, and there can be legal and financial ramifications. Long-term consequences for school refusers include violent behavior, school dropout, early marriage, and unemployment. “The main goal of treatment is to get the child back to school as soon as possible,” says Lisa Hunter Romanelli, PhD, REACH Institute CEO and clinical psychologist. “Being absent from school is highly reinforcing.” Like many school refusers, Ryan presents somatic complaints. After you rule out physiological causes– not only for these complaints but also for any underlying conditions that can produce depression or anxiety–what’s next?
Culturally Responsive Mental Health Screening Tools
As you’ve dealt with back-to-school (and back-to-sports) visits, you probably have been challenged by the gap between what’s needed and what’s practical. This visit may be the only time you see this child this year. You know that emotional and mental health is as important as physical health. But you have only so much time for each check-up. Screening tools are a big help…
Mental health support for children in foster care
“We have kids who come in here on three, four different medications,” says Dr. Elizabeth Wallis, MD, “and we don’t know why. We don’t know what data were used to make those decisions.” Dr. Wallis, director of the Foster Care Support Clinic (FCSC) of the Medical University of South Carolina and a REACH faculty member, was expressing just one of the challenges of treating children and youth in the foster care system.
Getting smarter about child mental health
“For these straightforward cases, when you can identify uncomplicated ADHD in patients without co-occuring depression or anxiety – well, everyone in primary care should be able to do this.”
“Now people have a place to go”
In the absence of a single child and adolescent psychiatrist anywhere in Cape May County, New Jersey, The REACH Institute training enabled Rainbow Pediatrics to help families who had nowhere else to turn.
Find the Right Training for You
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