Supporting rural school-based mental health service delivery : examining the effect of peer coaching on the delivery of an evidence-based mental health intervention
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Mental Health (MH) needs of school-aged youth is a growing problem (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019) and youth in rural areas have increased risk for MH needs (Bettenhausen et al., 2021). Schools are uniquely positioned to provide MH services to youth (Hoover & Bostic, 2021) which could be a solution to barriers related to access of MH services in rural areas (Farmer et al., 2021). MH providers in schools fill many roles and have high caseloads which often hinder MH service delivery (Splett et al., 2013). For the MH providers that have the desire and time to deliver MH services, there is often a report of low self-efficacy and a perceived lack of sufficient training to provide MH services (MASP, 2022). When professional development (PD) is provided, it is generally not effective due to a lack of ongoing follow-up support (Nakamura et al., 2014). Peer coaching is a training method that has been used in an academic context and could be a viable method of training and support for MH providers in rural schools (Koschmann et al., 2019). The aim of the current study was to promote evidence-based MH services in rural public schools through peer coaching for MH providers. A randomized control trial (RCT) exploratory study was employed to examine the effectiveness of peer coaching on provider self-efficacy and student well-being as compared to usual practice of only receiving PD training. Fourteen rural school-based MH providers across school psychology, school counseling, and school social work participated while only seven providers engaged in peer coaching. Findings indicated positive effects on MH provider self-efficacy and increased implementation fidelity for the MH intervention. Additionally, positive effects were found for student well-being. Results suggest that peer coaching for rural school MH providers could be an impactful way to provide support to rural school-based MH service delivery.
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Ph. D.