School-Based Mental Health Program
Browse a collection of mental health education resources created by Rady Children’s Health for school professionals to share with students and families. These resources provide guidance on emotional wellness, coping skills, crisis support and how to find help.
Crisis Resources
If your child expresses thoughts of wanting to harm themselves or others,
call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest emergency department.
To reach the Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741-741 or visit crisistextline.org.
To reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 9-8-8 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Rady Children’s Health (formerly CHOC) partners with school communities to provide mental health education, resources and clinical programming. Whether education professionals are looking to enhance their school’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum or need mental health programming, Rady Children’s can bridge the gap between wellness and the classroom.
School Partnerships for Student Mental Health Support
The Rady Children’s School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) team collaborates with mental health teams at schools across the county to identify the needs of the school, establish partnership goals and plan for the sustainability of utilization of their WellSpace.
Through this partnership, the SBMH team facilitates engaging programming designed to demonstrate how schools can activate their broader communities to reduce mental health stigma and raise greater awareness of mental health issues.
Our support includes:
- Direct Services: The program provides direct clinical services for students and facilitates connections to mental health clinics and resources within Rady Children’s.
- Education: Workshops are available for parents and teachers, focusing on evidence-based behavioral management skills, effective communication strategies, and building a supportive environment at home and in the classroom.
- Student Engagement: Students can participate in skill-building workshops and wellness activities, including mindfulness and stress-management sessions and social-emotional learning activities.
- Strategic Planning: Partners establish shared goals and sustainability plans to ensure that the WellSpace remains an integrated part of the school culture for years to come.
- Implementation Support: Schools receive hands-on guidance for navigating the new WellSpace, including assistance with programming and creating a welcoming atmosphere.
By engaging the entire school ecosystem – students, staff and families – the initiative aims to create a community-wide culture of mental health awareness.
School Reintegration Program
Rady Children’s is proud to offer School Reintegration Services to support students who have experienced a mental health crisis as they transition back to school. These services include communicating with schools regarding student admissions and evaluations, attending post-discharge re-entry meetings, and developing clear, efficient communication channels between hospital and school teams. When a student is admitted to the hospital, the School Reintegration team gathers information about school-related challenges such as academic workload, peer concerns, school avoidance, or attendance difficulties.
The team coordinates with the school to request and complete consultations and ensures that relevant updates are shared with the hospital treatment team. When families have questions about school processes or available supports, the team also provides consultation directly to parents and caregivers. All services are delivered within a three-tiered framework and guided by models developed in partnership with schools. These models are designed to align hospital and school staff, foster shared understanding, and promote collaborative, coordinated support for students.
Mental Health Crisis Clinic
The Mental Health Crisis Clinic at Rady Children’s Health is for youth who are suicidal or hurting themselves on purpose, but who are not at immediate risk of dying. This clinic can be an option for families who need urgent mental health support but whose child does not require emergency department care.
Appointments may be available as soon as the same week. Youth receive up to four sessions of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, designed to help manage intense emotions during a crisis. Families are also supported in connecting to longer-term mental health care.
Community partners and families can call the Psychology Department at 714-650-8383 to schedule an appointment (phone line available during business hours).