Grades: PK-3
Contact: Deborah B. Johnson
Children's Institute
274 N. Goodman, Suite D103
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: 877/888-7647 or 585/295-1000
FAX: 585/295-1090
Primary Mental Health Project is a school-based early intervention program for young children who show evidence of early school adjustment difficulties. As an indicated prevention program, it targets children deemed "at risk" and not those with already crystallized serious dysfunction. Through therapeutic interventions in a one-to-one setting, the program aims to address risk and protective factors by detecting, reducing, and/or preventing social, emotional, and school adjustment difficulties, and seeks to enhance learning and adjustment skills and other school- related competencies. It accomplishes these goals through five structural components: focus on young children; early and systemic screening and selection; use of paraprofessionals for district services; role change of school-based mental health professionals; and ongoing evaluation.
Several studies have shown decreases in adjustment problems for children receiving program services as compared to children awaiting services. The program has also demonstrated a decline in teacher ratings of learning problems and shy-anxious behaviors, and in increase in task orientation and peer social skills. Long-term effects were found up to five years after the intervention that showed treatment children to be better adjusted than a demographically comparable group.
US DOE Expert Panel,
Promising Program