Behavioral Health and Wellness Glossary

Term

Definition

Academic Integration

Social emotional learning (SEL) is integrated with academic instruction when SEL objectives are integrated into instructional content and teaching strategies for academics as well as music, art, and physical education. When done well, integration of SEL promotes student voice and agency and a positive learner identity. 

Behavioral Health

Behavioral health encompasses a broader spectrum than mental health, considering lifestyle choices, physical health, substance use/misuse and social factors.

Bullying

Bullying is a type of unwanted aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally causes another person pain, discomfort, or injury (essentially, physical and emotional hurt) repeatedly. It can take many forms, including words, physical contact, and more subtle actions that may be difficult to identify. 

Crisis

A mental health crisis is any situation in which a person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively in the community. 

Cultural Proficiency 

The ability to examine the various social and cultural identities of one's own self and others, understand and appreciate diversity from a historically-grounded and strengths-focused lens, recognize and respond to cultural demands and opportunities, and build relationships across cultural backgrounds. 

Diversity

This refers to the attributes that people use to confirm themselves with respect to others, “that person is different from me.” These attributes include demographic factors (such as race, gender, and age) as well as values and cultural norms.

Mandated Reporter

Mandated reporters are certain adults, who are legally required to report suspected child abuse if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse 

Mental Health

A subset of behavioral health, the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of an individual. It affects how human beings think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how individuals handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. 

Peer Pressure

A feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one's age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them. 

School Climate

The "quality and character of school life" based on how members of the school community experience school and the school's "norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and

organizational structures." (reference: National School Climate Council).

Trauma-informed

The recognition of the widespread impact of trauma, the signs and symptoms of trauma, and potential paths for recovery; and the integration of knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices to actively prevent re-traumatization. Using trauma-informed knowledge to find ways to incorporate social-emotional practices within academics.

Trauma-invested

Stakeholders have consented to act on their knowledge around trauma, truly working together to enhance safety across the board. Incorporates whole child learning and supports practices aimed at success for all children. 

Truancy

A child is "truant" if the child is subject to compulsory school laws and has incurred three or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year. A child is "habitually truant" if the child is subject to compulsory school laws and has incurred six or more school days of unexcused absences during the current school year.

Wellness

This refers to diverse and interconnected dimensions of physical, mental, and social well-being that extend beyond the traditional definition of health. It includes choices and activities aimed at achieving physical vitality, mental readiness, social satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, and personal fulfillment.

Term

Definition

Autonomy

The capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomy in childhood and adolescence is when one strives to gain a sense of oneself as a separate, self-governing individual. 

Communication

When schools send regular, coherent messages about social emotional learning (SEL) that are consistent in tone and content, while also ensuring they listen and respond to the inputs, ideas and needs of stakeholders (including staff, students, families, community partners, etc.). This is most likely to happen when schools take the time to learn more about the stakeholders they serve and use strategies to create personal connections. 

Compassion

Motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental, or emotional pains of another and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, which is an emotional aspect to suffering. Though, when based on cerebral notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered rational in nature and its application understood as an activity also based on sound judgment. 

Empathy

The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position.  

Executive Functioning

Executive functioning refers to the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember, and juggle multiple tasks.

Interpersonal Skills

The ability to interact with people through effective listening and communication.

Intrapersonal Skills

The internal ability and behaviors that help you manage emotions, cope with challenges, and learn new information.

Kindness

This is the quality of being considerate, friendly, and generous; caring for the people around you and wanting good for them. Activities that improve relationship skills — for example, collaboration, active listening, and fostering empathy — encourage kindness, which, in turn, supports social emotional learning. 

Mindset

A set of assumptions, methods, or notions held by one or more people or groups of people. Students who hold learning mindsets are more motivated to take on challenging work, persist in the face of setbacks, and achieve at higher levels. 

Norms

A set of agreed-upon expectations of how all staff and students will behave and interact to contribute to a positive school culture.

Perseverance

Perseverance refers to a person’s ability to continue pursuing a goal despite any obstacles or setbacks they may experience. 

Relationship Skills

The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed.

Responsible Decision Making

The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

Resilience

Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. 

Self-Awareness

The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism. 

Self-Management

The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

The process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Social-Awareness

The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Student Agency

The ability to make choices and take actions that impact one’s own trajectory and influence the wider world.

Student Voice

Honoring and elevating a broad range of student perspectives and experiences by engaging students as leaders, problem solvers, and decision-makers.

Sympathy

The perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another life form. 

Term

Definition

BCBA-Board Certified Behavior Analyst

The Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a graduate-level certification in behavior analysis. Professionals certified at the BCBA level are independent practitioners who provide behavior-analytic services. 

Behavioral Health Counselors

A behavioral counselor is a professional in the field of counseling or social work who uses a variety of different therapies to address mental health needs of clients, as well as help them change certain behaviors.

Guidance Instructor 

School counselors design and implement instruction or teaching, which is aligned to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. This instruction can be delivered in a large-group, classroom, small-group or individual setting. At WSSD, we have a Guidance Instructor who provides lessons as a special to all elementary students. This is a separate position from a School Counselor. 

HSV-Home and School Visitor 

Home and School Visitors (HSV) develop positive interpersonal relationships between members of the pupil personnel services team, social restoration specialists and external referral agencies, community and neighborhood organizations, and individuals involved in the student’s home-life, to facilitate optimal schooling opportunity and personal development of the pupil; engage in social case work; investigate family problems; assist staff in collaborating with community resource providers and social work agencies; may serve as attendance officer, who is able to investigate reasons for school absences by pupils, enforce compulsory attendance provisions, and prevent incorrigible, insubordinate or disorderly conduct of students during school, or on their way to or from school; and provide for students needs through appropriate referrals to school psychologist or school counselor. 

Interventionist

An interventionist is a physician, behavioral scientist, therapist, or other professional who modifies the conditions or symptoms of a patient.

LCSW- Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW refers to a licensed clinical social worker degree. Training typically includes two years of coursework and practical experience working at agencies in the community. Social workers are trained to perform psychotherapy, with a particular emphasis on connecting people with the community and support services available there.

LPC- Licensed Professional Counselor 

Licensed Professional Counselor—any fully licensed person who may practice independently who renders professional mental health counseling/psychotherapy services denoting a client-counselor relationship in which the counselor assumes the responsibility for knowledge, skill, and ethical consideration needed to assist individuals, groups, organizations, or the general public, and who implies that he/she is licensed to practice mental health counseling.

School Counselor VS. Guidance Counselor

In the 1990s, the shift from guidance counselor to school counselor began. This is because the scope of duties has changed and evolved. The Pennsylvania Department of Education discontinued Guidance Counselor certifications in 1987 and moved to School Counselor certifications. 

GUIDANCE COUNSELOR a. Reactive b. Services to some c. Impact measured via feelings and perceptions d. Ancillary role to school improvement process e. Work in isolation 

SCHOOL COUNSELOR a. Proactive/data-driven b. Program for all c. Impact measured via achievement, attendance and behavior data d. Essential role in the school improvement process e. School counselors as school leaders f. Develop, manage and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program.

School Psychologist

School Psychology, a general practice of Health Service Psychology, is concerned with children, youth, families, and the schooling process. School psychologists are prepared to intervene at the individual and system levels, and develop, implement and evaluate programs to promote positive learning environments for children and youth from diverse backgrounds, and to ensure equal access to effective educational and psychological services that promote health development. 

School Social Worker

School social workers are an integral link between school, home, and community in helping students achieve academic success. They work directly with school administrations as well as students and families, providing leadership in forming school discipline policies, mental health intervention, crisis management, and support services.

As part of an interdisciplinary team to help students succeed, school social workers also facilitate community involvement in the schools while advocating for student success. 

Term

Definition

Affinity Group

a group of people linked by a common interest or purpose. 

Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)

The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) is a questionnaire used for suicide assessment developed by multiple institutions, including Columbia University, with National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) support. The scale is evidence-supported and is part of a national and international public health initiative involving the assessment of suicidality. 

Crisis Plan

A mental health crisis plan is a plan of action that’s made before a crisis occurs, so you and people in your support system know what to do when an emergency comes up. The goal of the plan is to prepare an individual or group of individuals to handle a mental health emergency.

Evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs

Programs grounded in research and principles of child and adolescent development, and scientifically evaluated and shown to produce positive student outcomes. Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies high-quality evidence-based programs as those that are well-designed to systematically promote students’ social and emotional competence, provide opportunities for practice, offer multi-year programming, and provide high-quality training and ongoing implementation support.

FBA- Functional Behavior Assessment

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA): A process that examines why a child behaves the way he or she does given the nature of the child and what is happening in the environment. It is a process for collecting data to determine the possible causes of problem behaviors and to identify strategies to address the behaviors. 

Gender Support Plan

Gender support plans are detailed forms intended to create a shared understanding among school staff, parents and a student about the ways in which the student's authentic gender will be accounted for and supported at school.

Group Counseling

Group counseling involves a number of students working on shared tasks and developing supportive relationships in a group setting. It is an effective and positive way of providing direct service to students with academic, career and social/emotional developmental issues and situational concerns.

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling is defined as a fundamental responsibility of school counselors, and as providing brief, goal-focused, and developmentally appropriate counseling sessions to individual students. Individual counseling can help students with a variety of issues, including: Career counseling and planning, Grief after a loved one dies, Dealing with problems at a job, Improving self-concept, motivation, and goal setting, Developing identity and relationships, Demonstrating skills needed for school success, Making course selections, Exploring interests and abilities, Identifying and applying strategies to achieve success, and Developing a portfolio.

Lunch Bunch

Group counseling that occurs during the lunch period, which involves a number of students working on shared tasks and developing supportive relationships in a group setting, is an efficient, effective and positive way of providing direct service to students with academic, career and social/emotional developmental issues and situational concerns. 

MTSS - Multi-tiered System of Supports

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework that helps educators provide academic and behavioral strategies for students with various needs. MTSS grew out of the integration of two other intervention-based frameworks: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS). 

Nurse screen for D & A

A nursing assessment used to identify students who may be using drugs or alcohol. The assessment enables the school nurse to identify those students who require immediate medical care, as well as those who are impaired by substance use but medically stable. 

PBIS- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems, and practices affecting student outcomes every day.

Psychoeducational Evaluation

Is a process by which a trained professional works with those involved in a child's learning or development to identify the child's strengths and weaknesses. Its goal is to enhance everyone's ability to help the child be as successful as possible.

QPR- Question, Persuade, Refer

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.

Restorative Practices

A social science that studies how to build social capital and achieve social discipline through participatory learning and decision making. The use of restorative practices helps to reduce crime, violence and bullying; improve human behavior; strengthen civil society; provide effective leadership; restore relationships; [and] repair harm.” (reference: International Institute of Restorative Practices) 

Risk-Assessment

A suicide risk assessment screening, typically a standardized instrument or protocol is administered to identify persons who may be at risk for suicide. 

RtII- Response to Intervention

Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII) is an early intervening support process where the goal is to improve student achievement using research based interventions matched to the instructional need and level of the student.

S2S-Safe2Say

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late.

Safety Plan

Safety planning involves the development of a list of both internal coping strategies to help the student when they are by themselves, using social support, and community resources for assistance when necessary. The final result is a safety plan that the student can use during times of distress and crisis.

SAIP- School Attendance Improvement Plan

A plan that helps identify the reasons for a student's truancy, and develops a plan to improve their attendance. SAIPs are developed through a school-family conference.

SAP- Student Assistance Program

The Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a systematic team process used to mobilize school resources to remove barriers to learning. SAP is designed to assist in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student's success. The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help students overcome these barriers so that they may achieve, advance, and remain in school.

SHAPE- School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation 

The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System is a public-access, web-based platform that offers schools, districts, and states/territories a workspace and targeted resources to support school mental health quality improvement. SHAPE was developed by the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), in partnership with the field, to increase the quality and sustainability of comprehensive school mental health systems. SHAPE houses the National School Mental Health Census and the School Mental Health Quality Assessment (SMH-QA). These measures are designed for team completion at the school or district level to document the school mental health system components, assess the comprehensiveness of a School Mental Health (SMH) system, prioritize quality improvement efforts and track improvement over time.

SWIS- School-Wide Information System

School-Wide Information System (SWIS). SWIS is your comprehensive, online home for understanding the student behaviors happening in your building every day.

When you enter referral information, you document what's happening school-wide. SWIS transforms these data in real-time so your teams can get students the support they need faster, sooner, and targeted to their specific needs.

Threat Assessment

Evidence-based threat assessment involves identifying warning signs and risk factors that indicate the potential for violent behavior. These may include a history of violence, expressed intentions, social isolation, mental health issues, or a fixation on violent ideologies.

Tiered Supports (Tier I, Tier II, Tier III)

The components or levels of an MTSS System

Tier 1: Tier 1 systems, data, and practices support everyone across all settings. They establish the foundation for delivering regular, proactive support and preventing unwanted behaviors. Tier 1 emphasizes modeling, teaching, and acknowledging positive social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills. Teams, data, consistent policies, professional development, and evaluation are essential components for these practices to work effectively.

Tier 2: Tier 2 practices and systems provide targeted support for students who are not successful with Tier 1 supports alone. The focus is on supporting students who are at risk for developing more serious unwanted behavior before they start. Essentially, the support at this level is more focused than Tier 1 and less intensive than Tier 3. 

Tier 3: Students receive more intensive, individualized support to improve their behavioral and academic outcomes. Tier 3 strategies work for students with developmental disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, and students with no diagnostic label at all. 

Whole-child Education

Policies, practices, and relationships that ensure each child, in each school, in each community, is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. It engages all stakeholders—educators, families, policymakers, and community members.

Term

Definition

Case Management (MH)

Case management is defined as a health care process in which a professional helps a patient or client develop a plan that coordinates and integrates the support services that the patient/client needs to optimize the healthcare and psychosocial possible goals and outcomes.

ChildLine

ChildLine is part of a mandated statewide child protective services program designed to accept child abuse referrals and general child well-being concerns, and transmit the information quickly to the appropriate investigating agency. ChildLine is responsible for receiving verbal and electronic referrals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Community Partnerships

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)-focused community partnerships are in place when schools and community partners align on common language, strategies, and communication around all SEL-related efforts and initiatives, including out-of-school time. 

Crisis Evaluation

Crisis assessment a face-to-face evaluation of an individual presenting with a Behavioral Health emergency, including assessment of the need for hospitalization, conducted by appropriate clinical personnel (typically a physician). 

CYS- Children and Youth Services

CYS stands for "The Children and Youth Service Agency" which provides adequate substitute care in foster family homes and child caring institutions for any child in need of care due to abuse or neglect. Services are available to children from birth to 18 years of age. 

Family-Based

Family based counseling services refers to an intensive continuum of family therapy, case management and other support services delivered directly in the family's home. 

IBHS- Intensive Behavioral Health Services

Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) support children, youth, and young adults with mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs. IBHS offers a wide array of services that meet the needs of these individuals in their homes, schools, and communities. 

Inpatient

Inpatient care describes treatments and procedures that require observation of the patient by physicians, clinicians, or other medical professionals over a number of days. Patients stay at inpatient care facilities such as hospitals overnight. 

Intake

Intake refers to the initial interview with a client by a therapist or counselor to obtain both information regarding the issues or problems that have brought the client into therapy or counseling and preliminary information regarding personal and family history. 

IOP- Intensive Outpatient Program

Intensive outpatient (IOP) programs for substance use disorders or mental health needs offer services to clients seeking primary treatment; step-down care from inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization settings. IOP treatment includes a prearranged schedule of core services (e.g., individual counseling, group therapy, family psychoeducation, and case management [CM]) for a minimum of 9 hours per week for adults or 6 hours per week for adolescents.

Medical Assistance

Medical Assistance (MA), also known as Medicaid, pays for health care services for eligible individuals. 

Mobile Crisis

A team of mental health professionals that provides immediate support for crisis situations, as well as assistance with managing recurring or future crises. Team can come to the location of the individual in crisis, 24-7.

Neuropsychological Evaluation

Neuropsychological evaluation is an assessment of how one’s brain functions, which indirectly yields information about the structural and functional integrity of your brain. The neuropsychological evaluation involves an interview and the administration of tests. 

PHP-Partial Hospitalization Program 

Partial hospitalization Program is for patients who require less than 24-hour care, but more intensive and comprehensive services than are offered in outpatient treatment programs. Partial hospitalization is provided on a planned and regularly scheduled basis for a minimum of 3 hours, but less than 24 hours in any 1 day.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor who diagnoses and treats mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Psychological Evaluation

Psychological evaluation consists of a series of tests that help determine the cause of mental health symptoms and disorders, to determine the correct diagnosis and follow up with the appropriate course of treatment. 

SAMHSA- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is the agency within the U.S Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. 

Wraparound Services

Wraparound services, also referred to as Behavioral Health Rehabilitative Services (BHRS), are individualized mental health services provided in the home, school, or community to help keep a child at home.