Introduction
Within this paper, the focus will be on the school-based mental health program and its effectiveness compared to the community-based program. This choice is made because, in some cases, this intervention requires further investigation. In addition, this is due to the low rate of reduction of mental gaps in the underage population, which receives insufficient help from school interventions on this topic. Thus, several questions will be asked of this program:
- What is the rationale of the program, and how does the proposed program affect well-being and academic achievement?
- What long-term and short-term effects does this school-based mental health program have on the mental state of minors and their abilities?
- How does the school-based mental health program contribute to preventing the development of mental problems in students?
- Does this school-based mental health program promote awareness of mental health and limit stigma among minors?
- What approaches can lead to the most productive and beneficial results in terms of collaboration and communication among mental health practitioners, educators, and families involved in the programs?
Program Evaluation Aspects
Rationale
When implementing any program, it is essential to evaluate it. This process entails considering several vital elements that comprise the proposed intervention. The analysis and evaluation of these aspects will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the results the proposed program can achieve and its impact on the target audience.
Thus, the rationale for the program is an essential element of the study (Bell et al., 2010). As part of the evaluation, this indicator provides insight into the program’s desired outcomes, ethical framework, and societal benefits. That is why the first question highlighted in this paper concerns the program’s rationale.
Goals
The next aspect that should be included in the evaluation process is the acquisition of knowledge about the aims of future intervention. Lafave et al. (2009) noted that defining the program’s short- and long-term goals is valuable when conducting an assessment. Moreover, the researcher pointed out that “an evaluation plan promotes accountability, directly tying interventions to outcomes and identifying a process and deadlines for evaluating outcomes” (p. 14). Consequently, assessing both long-term and short-term effects can provide a better understanding of the outcomes that can be achieved when implementing an intervention.
Stakeholder Collaboration
The next critical element of the school-based mental health program to evaluate is collaboration and communication among the stakeholders involved. In this context, it implies an assessment of each party’s participation in the process of providing mental assistance and the proper distribution of roles between them. The value of this factor is that “this will allow for the proper planning of support services so that individual members are not overburdened” (Dass-Brailsford & Thomley, 2015, p. 428). In addition, it will assist in spreading awareness among members of society about the role and contribution they can have in helping minors with mental problems.
Relevance
When evaluating the program, it is also essential to consider its necessity and relevance. This is because this aspect offers the greatest efficiency, as it meets the population’s needs (Nielson, 2015). That is why the program’s impact on awareness of mental health and the reduction of stigma is relevant. This is because in the modern school environment, there are sufficient misconceptions and stigmas surrounding the issue. Education providers, stakeholders, and school-based mental health programs face the task of reducing the negative impact of this factor on students.
Effectiveness
During the evaluation of the program, special emphasis should be paid to what images it will contribute to reducing the number of mental problems and diseases among minors. To achieve this, it is also necessary to pay attention to the effectiveness it can demonstrate. This aspect manifests itself “not only in an average sense but also whether there are some parts of the program that are particularly effective or ineffective for particular sub-groups of the population, and what the characteristics of the effective parts are” (Plewis & Mason, 2005, p. 193). Based on this information, it is worth considering that the program’s evaluation should take into account not only the positive aspects but also opposing views. This is because the limited drawbacks will help increase its efficiency and effectiveness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, evaluating the program is a remarkably complex and critically important process. It includes an assessment of essential elements such as rationale, long- and short-term effects, contribution to the target audience, and collaboration and communication. Thus, defining and evaluating these aspects will provide an opportunity to gain the most comprehensive understanding and analysis of the program to be implemented.
References
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