Redefining and preventing mental health emergencies in the schools

ABSTRACT

While counselors in this school had formerly spent their time and ability focusing only on curriculum-adsing and programing, they were constantly discomfited by student demands which revealed needs for other kinds of services. They passed this discomfiture in to themental health consultant by making "crisis referrals" of troublesome pupils.Specific techniques for the development of communication skills, social sensitivity and conflict resolution were added to their professional repertoires. Discrete aspects of learning theory and psychodrama were transposed from the clinical to the educational setting through the collaborative work of the consultants and the consultees (AU)