The TeenScreen National Center is a non-profit organization which works hand in hand with Columbia University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The initiative is supported by the Sallie Foundation and the Carmel Hill Foundation as well as numerous individual benefactors, and is not involved with the pharmaceutical industry in any way.
TeenScreen is used to identify the earliest stages of mental illnesses in youth. The program is based on Columbia’s research from the 1990s, which proved that screening is an effective way to identify signs of mental illnesses and suicide risks in adolescents. The program uses scientific information to perform mental health checkups. With the help of TeenScreen Primary Care and Teen Screen Schools and Communities programs, these tests have been incorporated into health care routines in nearly 600 schools and community centers in 46 states.The organization also puts significant effort into promoting public policies that allow for more people to get mental health evaluations. TeenScreen was first established as a nationwide program for schools and communities. In 2009, experts recommended that routine screening be added to regular youth medical care routines. As a result, TeenScreen’s program expanded in order to include primary health professionals.
To learn more about: TeenScreen Programs: School & Communities
TeenScreen Schools and Communities helps health professionals, school administrators, educators and concerned community members bring mental health checkups to local schools and community-based programs that serve youth. This includes juvenile justice, foster care and after-school programs. Today, more than 550+ schools and youth programs in 42 states partner with TeenScreen Schools and Communities to offer free voluntary mental health checkups to adolescents.
Getting Started
The TeenScreen National Center provides free materials and technical assistance to guide local leaders through starting a local program. Download TeenScreen’s Information Kit packet to access background information and obtain additional information about the TeenScreen Schools and Communities Program.
Sign up to receive TeenScreen’s Implementation Kit – a resource designed to assist communities in developing and implementing local TeenScreen programs. It is a comprehensive resource that will walk you through the most important steps of developing and implementing a quality screening program.
Screening in Schools and in the Community
The very first TeenScreen program in Tulsa, Oklahoma was also the sponsor of the program’s 500th site. Read more in TeenScreen’s 500th Site Commemorative Brochure.
Watch a video featuring local TeenScreen program coordinator Marian Sheridan and a Webinar on developing programs in your own community.
More Information
Download the TeenScreen Schools and Community Brochure
TeenScreen Schools and Communities fact sheets and materials