About the SBHT 

The School Behavioral Health Team (SBHT) is housed in the Department of Psychology, within the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina. Led by Professor Mark Weist, the team aims to advance interconnected research, practice, and policy on effective school behavioral health to improve school climate, reduce and remove barriers to learning in students, and promote their social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health and wellness. We partner with educators, staff from collaborating youth-serving systems, and diverse community members to create supportive, inclusive, and resilient school environments through holistic, equitable, high-quality, and high-impact SBH programs.

The SBHT is dedicated to conducting cutting-edge research and providing innovative training experiences for students interested in clinical-community psychology, school psychology, and social work. Our research program focuses on determining best practices in research, training, policy, and practice for effective behavioral health services and supports for youth in schools.

Our work is guided by the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF), a solution to the co-located model in which mental health providers operate in a silo, separate from the school-based processes and systems that support students during the school year. ISF applies the core features of MTSS to incorporate mental health providers into the school system alongside school, community, and family partners. ISF aims to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of students and their families through team-based, data-informed decision-making, intentional selection of evidence-based practices connected across tiers, universal screening, rigorous progress monitoring, and ongoing coaching.