ABSTRACT
From a public health perspective, a coalition with others who share similar goals and a common vision is necessary to promote positive change. This chapter highlights strategies for developing and supporting the work of collaborative teams that can address this expanded vision of mental health service provision. Consistent with the National Association of School Psychologists Practice Model, school psychologists “function as change agents, using their skills in communication, collaboration, and consultation to promote necessary change at the individual, student, classroom, building, and district, state, and federal level”. The five levels or phases of collaboration are: connecting and communicating, cooperation, coordination, community building, and contracting. Collaborative efforts fade away or are ineffective because there was not enough attention given to developing an infrastructure. There are many factors to consider when developing these collaborative relationships and the chapter introduces the concepts of membership, building capacity, empowerment, process, and leadership to help define some of these issues.
