Teachers’ Acceptance of a Psychodynamically Based Schoolwide Mental Health Consultation Program

We report on a novel mental health classroom consultation program that is guided by psychodynamic principles rather than a scripted curriculum or manualized program. Based on each teacher’s needs and existing skills, consultants may divide their time among meeting with teachers, directly intervening with students, referring parents for services, and helping teachers implement a social–emotional learning curriculum. Throughout, they strive to build trusting relationships and promote mentalization with teachers as well as with students. Given the unusual design of this program model, it was important to assess teacher acceptance. A 2-year pilot in three high-poverty New York City schools assigned some classrooms to consultants and others to a comparison group. Results revealed that teachers who received consultation reported good relationships with their consultants. They reported that of all activities performed, consultants helped most by co-teaching the social–emotional curriculum. Furthermore, compared to teachers in a comparison group, those receiving consultation improved their self-efficacy with respect to promoting social–emotional competence, knowing effective strategies for dealing with behavioral challenges, and communicating with mental health providers. This model shows promise in light of high teacher acceptance.