Can schools sustain mental health support for students? new study explores how.
NCT ID NCT04869657
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at how to keep mental health programs running in 12 urban public schools with limited resources. Researchers compared two support models for school counselors and staff delivering evidence-based programs like Coping Power and CBT for anxiety. Over three years, they measured how well the programs were delivered, how many students received them, costs, and changes in student behavior and academic engagement. The goal was to find sustainable ways to support student mental health in schools that face many challenges.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Coping Power Program (CPP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Treatment in Schools (CATS)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show how to keep effective mental health programs running in schools with limited resources, helping more students access care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed implementation study, not a treatment trial. Results may not apply to other schools or districts, and student outcomes depend on many factors beyond the programs.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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421 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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8 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Schools: Any school in the participating urban, public school district already implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). * Tier 2 Team Members: Any staff from participating schools involved in the PBIS leadership team at that school. * Tier 2 Implementers: Any Masters-level staff assigned by their school's principal to deliver Tier 2 interventions. * Tier 2 Coaches: Any Masters-level clinician employed by the school district to support staff implementing Tier 2 interventions * Students: Any student at participating schools in grades 4-8 who scores above \> 1 standard deviation (SD) above the mean on the Emotional Symptoms or Conduct Problems scales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), plus Impact Supplement scores of 1 (A medium amount) or 2 (A great deal), completed by a parent or a teacher. Then, based on the student's score (Emotional Symptoms=internalizing symptoms, Conduct Problems=externalizing symptoms), the teacher must complete the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavioral Risk Screener (SAEBRS), which is the school district's standard screening criteria for Tier 2 services for externalizing behaviors, or the child must complete the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) for interlaizing behaviors. Based on these scores, the student is eligible to enroll in the intervention. Exclusion Criteria: * Schools: Any schools not currently implementing PBIS at Tier 1. * Tier 2 Team Members and Implementers: Any school personnel that are not involved in the leadership team or Tier 2 team. * Students: Any student with a Special Education classification of "Intellectual Disability," or with a history of psychotic or autistic spectrum disorders, according to school records, will be excluded because they would be unlikely to benefit from our Tier 2 interventions, as they were not designed for these demographics.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19146, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.