l mental health (ESMH) program which includes provision of the full range of mental health services to children in both special and regular education classrooms. Services might include individual, group, and family therapies, referral, preventive services, support groups, and school wide interventions (Weist, 1997). Weist et al. (2000) support the ESMH model, but note that there are many challenges in implementing and sustaining such models. For example, there are often challenges regarding the efficacy of such programs and difficulties in evaluation. In general, schools prefer the more limited model of service provision for children in special education classes with minimal treatment involved. This does not mean that mental health needs are ignored, but that they are adjusted to the school environment. They may include approaches that are therapeutic, but more solution-focused and more akin to brief therapy than intensive therapy or psychoanalytic approaches.
The ESMH model is a therapy model, based on using traditional th
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