Applying a Participatory Culture-Specific Consultation Model to Facilitate the Creation of Positive School Environments to Support Child Health and Well-Being

This chapter describes the application of the participatory culture-specific consultation model to development and evaluation of school-based mental health programming in three New Orleans Charter schools. The authors guide readers through implementation of eleven phases of the model from establishing a working framework based on existing theory, research, and practice to establishing partnerships, learning the school culture, gathering formative data, formulating a local conceptual framework, developing culturally and contextually relevant interventions, implementing and evaluating the interventions, and ensuring sustainability. Critical to each phase of the process is working in partnership with school stakeholders (administrators, support staff, teachers, parents, students) and community stakeholders. Authors highlight lessons learned and implications for using a participatory consultation process to achieve culturally and contextually relevant programming.