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School Psychologists as Mental Health Service Providers: Perspectives Related to Barriers and Facilitators of Mental Health Service Provision

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Elizabeth C. McPherson
Elizabeth C. McPherson
Elizabeth C. McPherson
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Elizabeth L. W. McKenney at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Elizabeth L. W. McKenney
Heather Ormiston at Indiana University Bloomington
Heather Ormiston
Claire Buhrmester
Claire Buhrmester
Claire Buhrmester
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Abstract

School systems have been identified as a likely and necessary environment for students to receive and seek out mental health (MH) services. School psychologists are trained in MH, but due to legal obligations and other duties (i.e., special education evaluations), they are often not able to be a part of service delivery. The purpose of this study is to examine school psychologists’ current involvement in providing MH supports and how they were able to engage in that role through a qualitative phenomenological approach to highlight their individual experiences. Nine participants (n = 9) from four states were interviewed. Using thematic analysis with a phenomenological lens, three themes and fourteen subthemes emerged to describe the barriers and facilitators of providing MH services, the benefits of MH services in schools, and the various needs participants noticed in their schools and communities.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
School Mental Health
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-025-09752-3
ORIGINAL PAPER
School Psychologists asMental Health Service Providers: Perspectives
Related toBarriers andFacilitators ofMental Health Service Provision
ElizabethC.McPherson1,2 · ElizabethL.W.McKenney1 · HeatherE.Ormiston2 · ClaireBuhrmester1 ·
TaylarMercille1
Accepted: 2 March 2025
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025
Abstract
School systems have been identified as a likely and necessary environment for students to receive and seek out mental health
(MH) services. School psychologists are trained in MH, but due to legal obligations and other duties (i.e., special educa-
tion evaluations), they are often not able to be a part of service delivery. The purpose of this study is to examine school
psychologists’ current involvement in providing MH supports and how they were able to engage in that role through a
qualitative phenomenological approach to highlight their individual experiences. Nine participants (n = 9) from four states
were interviewed. Using thematic analysis with a phenomenological lens, three themes and fourteen subthemes emerged
to describe the barriers and facilitators of providing MH services, the benefits of MH services in schools, and the various
needs participants noticed in their schools and communities.
Keywords School psychologist perspectives· School mental health· Mental health service delivery· Student mental
health· Qualitative· Phenomenology· Thematic analysis
Introduction
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC, 2021), MH disorders in children, specifically depres-
sion and anxiety, are on the rise. Further, about 25% of chil-
dren and adolescents experienced clinically elevated levels
of depression and anxiety at some point during the COVID-
19 pandemic (Racine etal., 2021). Closer examination of
MH needs uncovers health disparities among marginalized
populations. For instance, a longitudinal examination of
rural–urban disparities in youth suicides found that suicide
rates for rural youth were nearly twice that of urban youth,
a rate that appears to be increasing over time (Fontanella
etal., 2015). Economically marginalized youth between the
ages of 4 and 18 were two to three times more likely to be
identified with MH concerns and significantly less likely to
receive MH treatment (Reiss, 2013). Because children living
in poverty often have a complex intersection of risk factors,
including higher levels of parental stress, depressed parental
mood, harsh disciplinary practices, and lower school attain-
ment (Yoshikawa etal., 2013), these factors may increase
the risk of developing significant MH concerns. These rising
prevalence rates in MH disorders are compounded by poor
behavioral and MH service access rates. Across the USA,
it is estimated that nearly half of youth with at least one
diagnosed MH disorder do not receive needed counseling
or treatment from a MH professional (Whitney & Peterson,
2019). For those youth who do access treatment, there are
observed disparities that indicate minoritized and marginal-
ized youth are far less likely to contact MH services com-
pared to their non-minoritized peers (Costello etal., 2014).
School‑Based Mental Health Services
Schools serve as an important entry point for the delivery
of MH services (Doll etal., 2017; Duong etal., 2021) as
they can remove many logistical (e.g., transportation) and
financial (e.g., insurance) barriers related to accessing ser-
vices (Doll etal., 2017). For instance, a recent meta-analysis
* Elizabeth C. McPherson
elmcphe@iu.edu
1 Department ofPsychology, Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois, USA
2 Department ofApplied Psychology inEducation
andResearch Methodology, Indiana University Bloomington,
201 N. Rose Ave., Bloomington, IN47405, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
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