DBH operates a school based program in public and public charter schools that offers prevention, early 
intervention and clinical services to youth and their families. The US Surgeon General reports one in five children and adolescents experience the signs and symptoms of a diagnosable behavioral disorder each year, resulting in significant disruptions of school classrooms, increased truancy, increased risk for alcohol and drug abuse and decreased graduation rates.
Behavioral health clinicians in public schools:
- Complement services already offered to students and families
- Work within existing support services in the schools to help create a safer and more supportive school climate
- Provide supportive services for school teachers and staff. Such services include professional development on a variety of behavioral health topics, classroom management techniques, and case management.
In addition, mental health program clinicians are on hand in the aftermath of traumatic events affecting the school population.
For more information about the School Behavioral Health Program, please contact Meghan Sullivan ([email protected]) contact number (202) 673-4307.
During School Year 2018-2019, DBH began partnerships with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to implement the District's phased expansion of multi-tiered school based behavioral health services in the District's public and public charter schools. This expansion builds on the multi-tiered school-based behavioral health services that the DBH-hired/School Behavioral Health Program continues to provide. Additionally, a DC School Behavioral Health Community of Practice (CoP) was launched in September 2019 via an awarded contract to support the comprehensive school behavioral health supports of the District's school behavioral health expansion. The DC CoP engages school professionals and community leaders, alongside DBH, CBO, and school-hired clinicians who jointly conduct school behavioral health activities and services designed to promote healthy development well-being for all students and their families.
Currently, DBH is facilitating the enhancement of knowledge and skills and collaboration among the members of the District's School Behavioral Health Community of Practice through leveraging the activities and resources of the DBH Training Institute, OSSE's Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW), and the terms and conditions under the Letter of Agreement with George Washington University. The DC Community of Practice (DC CoP) webpages provide information about upcoming practice/work group (PG/WG) meetings, trainings, and other learning opportunities. Archived resources are also available.
The DC CoP is supported by DBH, the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, the District of Columbia Public Schools, the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
DBH provides the following resource materials to raise awareness and to promote school behavioral health services to students and caregivers:
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