What is CBHM?

Welcome to the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model

Picture a school in which children, families, faculty, and community partners feel welcome and valued. Every child experiences a pro-social curriculum as part of their classroom and school experience. Teachers periodically review each of their students' behavioral health strengths and needs. Students in need of additional support are provided appropriate services in a timely fashion. Teams of teachers and administrators review student behavioral health data and process on a regular basis. Community partners, families, and school personnel meet periodically and are in consistent communication about children who are receiving support.

Every child deserves a safe and supportive school

CBHM promotes positive school climate and social and academic success for all students

CBHM is a comprehensive model that integrates tiered supports and services within a school according to student needs and recognizes family and community partnerships as an integral part of a school's success.

CBHM is currently in 76 Boston Public Schools

CBHM launched during the 2012-13 school year in 10 Boston Public Schools (BPS). Each year, approximately 10 additional schools join the model. Currently, 76 schools have joined CBHM. Each participating school has begun to implement a multi-tiered model of interventions and supports (aka MTSS), including a universal social emotional learning curriculum and a universal behavioral health screening tool (BIMAS-2), which helps schools better understand and respond to each student's behavioral health needs.

CBHM is Growing

Each school year a new cohort of approximately 10 BPS schools will join the model in order to expand CBHM supports across the district. Additionally, we have seen an increase in multi-tiered systems of support, the use of social emotional learning curricula, and implementation of universal behavioral health screening across the district, including in those schools who have not yet joined the model.

MTSS Overview

CBHM and MTSS in Boston Public Schools

CBHM is a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) designed to promote students' social, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing. MTSS is a three-tier model of service delivery for educational and behavioral services in a school setting. This model is also often called Response to Intervention (RtI). In BPS, the Academic Achievement Framework (AAF) is a version of RtI focused on students' social and behavioral learning. The Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model (CBHM) is focused on students' social and behavioral learning. The goal of the CBHM Lighthouse model (below) is to create safe and supportive learning environments in which students may grow and thrive academically, personally, and socially. This includes providing the right amount of services and supports at the right time when a student absolutely needs them.

These models are based on the logic that the majority of students can and will be successful when provided with evidence-informed instruction and preventative interventions. Appropriate interventions and the use of data to assess progress help ensure that students who benefit from progressively more intensive services will not need them over the long-term.

Reference: Tillly, W. David (2007). The evolution of school psychology to science-based practice: Problem solving and the Three Tiered Model. Best practices in school psychology V.

MTSS in Action

Tier 1 Services: Universal Interventions

Preventative and proactive in nature
Delivered to all students across all educational settings
May include school-wide initiatives such as reward or token systems to encourage positive behavior, school stores, school mottos and cheers, partnerships with families and community partners, and/or social skills lessons
It is expected that about 80% of students (if not more) will be successful with these services

Tier 2 Services: Targeted Group Interventions

For groups of students who have not responded to well-implemented tier 1 supports
Short term services designed to meet the needs of these particular groups
May include social skills groups, anxiety groups, anger management groups, gender issues groups, attention/organization skills groups
It is expected that about 5-10% of the student population may need these supports

Tier 3 Services: Intensive Individual Interventions

For individual students who have not responded to both tier 1 and tier 2 supports
Based on individual assessment of the student and tailored to the individual student's unique strengths and needs
May include individual lessons, interventions, or treatment relative to anger, depression, anxiety, etc.
it is expected that about 1-5% of students will require this level of assistance if tier 1 and 2 supports are well implemented

What is CBHM?

Welcome to the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model

Every child deserves a safe and supportive school

CBHM promotes positive school climate and social and academic success for all students

CBHM is currently in 76 Boston Public Schools

CBHM is Growing

MTSS Overview

CBHM and MTSS in Boston Public Schools

MTSS in Action

Tier 1 Services: Universal Interventions

Tier 2 Services: Targeted Group Interventions

Tier 3 Services: Intensive Individual Interventions

CBHM Logic Model

This logic model guides the work of CBHM

What is CBHM?

Welcome to the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model

Every child deserves a safe and supportive school

CBHM promotes positive school climate and social and academic success for all students

CBHM is currently in 76 Boston Public Schools

CBHM is Growing

MTSS Overview

CBHM and MTSS in Boston Public Schools

MTSS in Action

Tier 1 Services: Universal Interventions

Tier 2 Services: Targeted Group Interventions

Tier 3 Services: Intensive Individual Interventions

CBHM Logic Model

This logic model guides the work of CBHM

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