Tales and Trails from Consultation: Improving School Social Work and Teacher Collaboration through Interdisciplinary School-Based Mental Health Teams in High Poverty Urban Schools.

Authors

  • Mery Diaz New York City College of Technology/CUNY

Abstract

Interdisciplinary team collaboration has garnered increasing attention over the years. For school-based mental health practices in high poverty urban school settings, teams can especially serve to reduce service fragmentation and duplication in light of multiple demands and funding cuts. Teams can additionally help to develop new relational interactions between teachers and school social workers that reduce feelings of isolation and increase practice skills and effectiveness. This reflection focuses on the author’s experience in interdisciplinary team development and observations of the processes that support collaboration and those that create barriers.

Author Biography

Mery Diaz, New York City College of Technology/CUNY

Dr. Diaz is an Assistant Professor in the Health and Human Services Department at New York City College of Technology. She has professional practice experience in the field of clinical social work with concentrations in child and adolescent mental health, non profit/human services, school reform and systems work. Her research interests include:School Social Work Practice and General, Social Work Practice, Inter-disciplinary Collaboration, School-Based Mental Health, Health and Service Disparities, Child and Adolescent Mental Issues,  Organization and Systems Issues, Poverty issues, Minority and Social Justice issues, Urban Education, Qualitative Research, and Video Ethnography.

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Published

2015-04-20

How to Cite

Diaz, M. (2015). Tales and Trails from Consultation: Improving School Social Work and Teacher Collaboration through Interdisciplinary School-Based Mental Health Teams in High Poverty Urban Schools. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 19(4), 41–50. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/237