Community violence has gained recognition as a growing problem in the United States. Millions of youth are exposed to community violence each year; however, the detrimental effects of community violence often go unrecognized or unnoticed, despite the child's functioning often being disrupted in several domains. Children exposed to violence in their community demonstrate a variety of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive reactions that become evident in the school setting and often act as barriers to personal development and academic progress. As a result, schools are unknowingly coping with the effects of community violence exposure. Because children who are referred for school-based mental health services are significantly more likely to receive treatment than those who are referred to a community mental health center, providing mental health services in the school setting increases the likelihood that children will receive the services they need. It is argued that providing school-based mental health services increases educators' awareness and understanding of barriers to learning for children affected by community violence exposure.

Modifications of a school-based mental health program are presented to make it a public health informed prevention and intervention program for community violence exposure. The proposed program emphasizes the beliefs that everyone who lives in an impoverished community is at risk for witnessing community violence and being affected by the problems associated with violence exposure; that identifying and addressing factors that impede development, learning, and teaching are a first step to addressing these problems; and that collaboration with the systems surrounding is necessary to produce positive and lasting changes. The proposed program provides treatment for children who meet full criteria for a mental health diagnosis as well as for children who may experience sub-clinical levels of distress, like those who have been exposed to community violence. For these children, school-based mental health services can provide short-term support and early intervention efforts that can thwart the development of a full-blown mental health disorder.