At the heart of the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative is a mission to support the mental well-being of students & educators across our state. Through this collaborative effort between the Huntsman Mental Health Institute & the U of U’s College of Education, we're working hand-in-hand with school districts & community partners throughout Utah to create nurturing environments where every child can thrive. Imagine a school where students feel supported emotionally & mentally as they navigate their educational journey. That's exactly what we're striving for with the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative.

By providing practical guidance, training, & direct services to school districts, we're empowering educators to build effective mental health systems right within their school community. Our research looks at increasing access to mental health supports, improving functional outcomes for students struggling with mental health symptoms, school climate outcomes with school-based interventions, & preventing the need for higher levels of care through early detection & intervention of mental illness in youth.

School personnel play a key role in managing the MTSS framework for mental health support and services in their school. Often these personnel work in teams which we commonly refer to as Well-Being Teams (WBT) and consist of teachers, school mental health professionals, related service providers, school nurses, social workers, and school administrators.

​The Utah School Mental Health Collaborative will closely work with the school’s WBT to enhance their mental health framework.  Or in the absence of such teams, the SMH Collaborative will support its creation and development through training and consultation support. 

Please contact our Partnerships Director, Dr. Chat Illapperuma- Wood at Chathuri.illapperuma@utah.edu

Learn more about our team on this page!