Special Issue: Research, Program Evaluation, and Return on Investment to Promote a Strong School Mental Health Workforce
Aims and Scope of the Special Issue
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association identified youth mental health as a national emergency (2021). Despite the urgent need for mental health services, there are pervasive workforce shortages for youth mental health services (Hoffman et al., 2023). Schools are a critical delivery point for mental health services (Hoover et al., 2021). However, school professionals often report inadequate access to mental health providers as a primary factor that limits their efforts to provide mental health services (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024).
For this special issue, we invite authors to submit manuscripts that address research, program evaluation, or return on investment on one or more of the following: (a) promoting a strong mental health workforce in k-12 schools, (b) sustaining a strong mental health workforce in k-12 schools, (c) increasing the diversity or cultural and linguistic competency of school mental health providers, and (d) increasing access to high-quality mental health services in schools. Program evaluation may be formative or summative, inclusive of manuscripts that describe or explain program design, implementation, or outcomes. Manuscripts that include quantitative methods, qualitative methods, multiple methods, and mixed methods are welcome. Manuscripts may address programs and practices, such as recruitment, retention, and training for school mental health providers. For the purposes of this special issue, a school mental health workforce includes school psychology, school counseling, school social work, or another school mental health focus that aligns with a state credential to deliver mental health services in schools.
Of particular interest are manuscripts that (a) promote equity and justice, (b) examine or optimize implementation processes or practices to overcome barriers, and (c) integrate partnerships across two or more of the following: state education agencies, local education agencies, community organizations, institutions of higher education, and family- or youth-serving organizations.
Submission Instructions
The Journal of School Psychology’s submission system will be open for submissions to the special issue from July 15, 2025. Please submit your manuscript before February 1, 2026.
Manuscripts should be formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). The Guide for Authors and the link to submit manuscripts is available on the Journal’s homepage at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/
Inquiries, including questions about appropriate topics, may be sent to Andy Garbacz at Andy.Garbacz@wisc.edu.