Exploring the efficacy of cognitive behavioural informed interventions delivered within a school-based Mental Health Support Team

Bebbington, Nicole, Robinson, Emilia, Orchard, Faith, Chapman, Chloe, Dixon, Clare and John, Mary (2025) Exploring the efficacy of cognitive behavioural informed interventions delivered within a school-based Mental Health Support Team. Cognitive Behaviour Therapist. ISSN 1754-470X (In Press)

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Abstract

Background: Increasing numbers of children and young people (CYP) are presenting with common mental health difficulties. In 2017 the UK government outlined a service transformation plan which led to the development and implementation of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), to deliver evidence-based interventions in schools for mild to moderate mental health difficulties. Aims: This service evaluation aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of individual interventions delivered by MHST practitioners trained to deliver low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions to CYP with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, within one service based in the South East of England. Method: 459 CYP engaged in an individual intervention delivered by MHST practitioners between January 2021 and December 2022. Interventions were delivered either online via video call or face-to-face. All children and their parents/carers were invited to complete two routine outcome measures (Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) at baseline and post-intervention. Results: Outcome data demonstrated significant improvements across all child and parentrated RCADS anxiety and depression scales. Significant improvements were also shown for both child and parent-rated SDQ total difficulties and impact scores. These all showed effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Girls presented higher scores pre and post-intervention compared to boys apart from the OCD subscale; Gender was not a predictor of improvement in the majority of analyses. Conclusions: Individual, low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions delivered in this MHST service were effective in reducing symptoms of emotional and behavioural difficulties in CYP with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data availability statement: The data used within this report was collected as part of routine practice data collection and is not publicly available. Financial Support: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sdg 3 - good health and well-being,2* ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	09 Jul 2025 15:30
Last Modified:	09 Jul 2025 15:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99874
DOI:	issn:1754-470X

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