A Three-Tiered Model for Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Immigrant-Origin Youth in Schools

To date, little research has systematically considered the ways in which schools can better address the needs of immigrant-origin youth (IOY). Further, considering the increased negative attitudes toward and policies targeting IOY and families within the U.S., there is a need to go beyond targeting just IOY at risk for mental health concerns and promote a culture of inclusion throughout the school. The goal of this paper is to address ways in which schools can best attend to the mental health needs of IOY by systematically integrating prevention and intervention efforts across three tiers of support within the school setting. Specifically, we propose a three-tiered model of school based mental health services for IOY. Based on a thorough review of current literature, we propose universal, selective, and targeted programming to support the MH needs of IOY and families. We discuss implications for implementation as well as future directions for research.