Mutually Beneficial: A Head Start-School Psychology Program Partnership

ABSTRACT Since Head Start’s inception, mental health has been an important component of their service delivery. The Head Start Performance Standards provide a foundation for programs to design and deliver mental health services. Mental Health Consultants are the professionals who provide these services. Head Start has a robust history of building collaborative relationships with community partners to support their families. A more than two-decade partnership between a large Head Start agency and a school psychology program that provides the agency mental health consultants will be described. The consultation model of service delivery will be detailed including the roles and responsibilities of the mental health consultants and implications for training and practice.