Module 1: Introduction

About SchooLink

SchooLink is a longstanding partnership between the County of San Diego and local school districts to provide County-funded behavioral health services at schools. The partnership dates back to late 1990’s, where the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) – Behavioral Health Services (County) partnered with school districts and Community Based Organizations to offer outpatient Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS), and later Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment on designated school campuses to students with Medi-Cal or no insurance.

School campuses are dynamic with a variety of resources, but it is not always easy to know how to access services. The Behavioral Health Services for Youth in San Diego County Poster was created to help explain the landscape.

The training program was originally developed in 2017-2018 through a highly collaborative and interactive process between the County Behavioral Health Services Division, San Diego Unified School District’s (SDUSD) Mental Health Resource Center (MHRC), Community Research Foundation (CRF), and Price Philanthropies. SchooLink modules were last updated in 2025, introducing new modules.

All SchooLink materials can be found on the SchooLink San Diego website.

Goal

The SchooLink modules aim to outline successful strategies for linking eligible school-aged children and youth to behavioral health services. It was created for SchooLink providers and for schools. You will also find helpful reference materials, like standardized referral forms, sample meeting agendas, and more.

SchooLink provides resources to help school staff and behavioral health providers better understand:

• Available services
• Referral Processes
• School staff and provider roles and responsibilities
• Best practices for outreach and communication

Partners