We Are on the Same Team: Child Psychiatry and the School System

As former public school teachers now in child psychiatry training and practice, we continue to be struck by the disconnect between the K-12 education system and psychiatric care. As teachers, we often felt unsupported by the medical community, and now as physicians we struggle to negotiate appropriate roles as collaborators with schools. Constraints on funding, time, and privacy often limit the expansion of mental health competency training for teachers and clinical services in schools. Under-resourced communities are particularly vulnerable to these barriers to mental health care. As local experts, psychiatrists can partner with schools to improve teacher competence and strengthen referral networks.