MTSS and Mental Health Integration
What is an Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF)?
Education and mental health leaders understand the need to establish one system of social-emotional and behavioral supports in schools. The Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is a way to blend PBIS with mental health supports in schools. This framework guides state, district, and community leaders to fund and modify policies and procedures to help every system work more efficiently. Clinicians – supported by integrated district structures – become part of multi-tiered school teams to address the social-emotional and behavior needs of all students. ISF expands the PBIS framework as a way to assist teams and enhance their efforts (Center on PBIS, 2021).
Foundational Resources
Mental Health/Social-Emotional-Behavioral Well-Being
Check out resources on from the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
Mental Health Integration through an Interconnected Systems Framework
Find additional resources from Midwest PBIS Network
DE-PBS & Project DelAWARE Hosted Events
Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) Workshop
The Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is a structure and process to integrate Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and School Mental Health within school systems. The goal is to blend resources, training, systems, data, and practices in order to improve outcomes for all children and youth. There is an emphasis on prevention, early identification, and intervention of the social, emotional, and behavior needs of students. Family and community partner involvement is critical to this framework.
Summer 2023
Guest Presenter: Susan Barrett from the Center for Social Behavioral Support
Materials:
Summer 2021
Guest Presenter: Dr. Kimberly Yanek – Co-Director for the Social Behavior Support at Center for Implementation & Evaluation of Education Systems and Technical Assistance Director for Center on PBIS
Materials:
- Summer 2021 Interconnected Systems Framework Day 1 Slides
- Summer 2021 Interconnected Systems Framework Day 2 Slides
- ISF Professional Learning Resource List
School Mental Health Leadership Convening
February 16, 2023
This 2-hour virtual learning session, hosted by Project DelAWARE, is for Delaware district and school leaders, and community partners championing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) with integrated mental health prevention and response efforts.
Guest presenters, Susan Barrett and Kimberly Yanek, Ph.D., from the Center for Social Behavioral Support
Tools
An introduction to the Interconnected Systems Framework including a review of the benefits
Describes what will be different for educators andmental health providers when school mental health is integrated into a Multi-Tiered System of Support
Describes how to use school and community data to determine what interventions to select and implement to meet the diverse needs of all students
Publications
Integrating a Trauma-Informed Approach within a PBIS Framework, Center on PBIS, November 2020
The purpose of this Guide is to describe how district and school leaders can incorporate trauma-informed practices within a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) framework. This ensures that the investments in training school personnel about trauma can be integrated into a system that links these efforts to student outcomes. Recommendations are included for how to adjust the PBIS framework to support trauma-informed practices.
Advancing Education Effectiveness: Interconnecting School Mental Health and School-wide Positive Behavior Support, September 2017
Volume 2: An Implementation Guide
This monograph is about improving the quality of life and outcomes for children and youth, especially those children who are at risk for or experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges. The editors have wisely chosen a title for the monograph that signals the pivotal role of education in this endeavor. Advancing Education Effectiveness: Interconnecting School Mental Health and School- wide Positive Behavioral Support clearly conveys the message that effective education is the primary goal and linking two important processes will be the strategy promoted to achieve this goal. The Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is described in the following chapters as the proposed mechanism that can effectively link School Mental Health (SMH) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in order to leverage the individual strengths of each of these processes and produce enhanced teaching and learning environments through their strategic linkage.