Featured Publication
TEALEAF: Task-Shifted Mental Health Care Improves Outcomes
in India
Tealeaf teachers observed lower severity of mental health symptoms, and students in Tealeaf performed better in math (d = 0.63) and reading (d = 0.83).
Giri P, Lamb MM, Fuentes VC, Thapa A, Bhattarai S, et al.
Evidence & Outcomes
Comparative Child Mental Health and Academic Outcomes After Primary School Teachers Deliver Task-Shifted Mental Health Care in India
Key Findings:
- Evaluates teacher-delivered, task-shifted mental health care in primary school settings
- Reports comparative improvements in child mental health and academic outcomes
- Strengthens evidence for scalable school-based mental health delivery in LMIC contexts
Authors: Giri P, Lamb MM, Fuentes VC, Thapa A, Bhattarai S, et al.
Journal: Discover Mental Health
Date: June 2025
Comparative Preliminary Child Mental Health and Academic Outcomes After Elementary School Teachers Deliver Task-Shifted Mental Health Care in India
Key Findings:
- Medium improvement in child mental health symptoms (d = 0.699)
- Large improvements in academic achievement (Math = 0.790; Reading = 0.844)
- Demonstrates feasibility of teacher-delivered mental health care in LMIC school systems
Authors: Cruz CM, Fuentes VC, Rauniyar AK, et al.
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Date: October 2023
Exploring Mental Health and Academic Outcomes of Children Receiving Non-manualized, Transdiagnostic, Task-Shifted Mental Health Care From Their Teachers in a Low-and Middle-Income Country
Key Findings:
- Significant improvement in child mental health symptoms (borderline → normal range)
- Improved academic performance in math; reading trends toward improvement
- Supports scalability of non-specialist delivered interventions in schools
Authors: Vanderburg JL, Dukpa C, Rauniyar AK, et al.
Journal: Frontiers in Pediatrics
Date: March 21, 2022
The Ed-MH Model
Evidence from Darjeeling to support “Education as Mental Health Therapy” (Ed-MH) as an emerging therapy modality
Key Findings:
- Provides empirical support for “Education as Mental Health Therapy (Ed-MH)” as an emerging intervention model
- Demonstrates teachers delivering therapeutic mechanisms embedded within routine classroom instruction
- Strengthens evidence for school systems as active mental health delivery platforms in LMIC contexts
- Supports Ed-MH as a scalable, non-clinical mental health care modality
Authors: Giri P, Dukpa C, Vanderburg JL, Bhattarai S, Thapa A, et al.
Journal: Australasian Psychiatry
Date: October 8, 2025
The Potential Emergence of “Education as Mental Health Therapy” as a Feasible Form of Teacher-Delivered Care in a LMIC
Key Findings:
- Teachers organically integrated therapeutic techniques into classroom instruction
- ≥60% fidelity in delivery across components
- Introduced “Education as Mental Health Therapy (Ed-MH)” as an emergent model of care
Authors: Cruz CM, Giri P, Vanderburg JL, et al.
Journal: Frontiers in Psychiatry
Date: December 16, 2021
Implementation Science
Teacher, caregiver, and student acceptability of teacher-delivered mental health care in India
Key Findings:
- High acceptability among teachers and caregivers
- Trust in teachers and perceived academic benefit were key facilitators
- Barriers included stigma, time constraints, and supervision needs
Authors: Cruz CM, Dukpa C, Vanderburg JL, et al.
Journal: Discover Mental Health
Date: October 31, 2022
Early Detection & Screening
Teacher Nomination of School-aged Children for Mental Health Services in a LMIC
Key Findings:
- Teachers identified students for services with moderate accuracy after training
- Decision-support tools improved identification capacity in schools
Authors: Cruz CM, Lamb MM, Hampanda K, et al.
Journal: Global Health Action
Date: October 31, 2022
Community & Family Perspectives
RESEED – the perceived impact of an enhanced usual care model of a novel, teacher-led, task-shifting initiative for child mental health
Key Findings:
- Teachers found the intervention acceptable and impactful
- Time constraints identified as a key implementation barrier
Authors: Ekhteraei S, Vanderburg JL, Giri P, et al.
Journal: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Date: August 10, 2023
Teacher and Caregiver Perceptions of Family Engagement in Teacher-Led Task-Shifted Child Mental Health Care in a Low- and Middle-Income Country
Key Findings:
- Explores teacher and caregiver perceptions of family engagement in school-based mental health care
- Identifies varying engagement patterns across families (full, partial, and limited engagement)
- Highlights barriers including logistical constraints and misconceptions about the program
- Suggests family engagement as a key facilitator of successful teacher-led interventions
Authors: Vanderburg JL, Bhattarai S, Ferrarone P, Giri P, Lamb MM, et al.
Journal: Global Public Health
Date: June 21, 2021
Perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of teachers serving as mental health lay counselors in a low and middle income country: a mixed methods pragmatic pilot study
Key Findings:
- Training and supervision increased willingness to serve as lay counselors
- Findings support emergence of education-based mental health systems
Authors: Cruz CM, Lamb MM, Giri P, et al.
Journal: International Journal of Mental Health Systems
Date: April 29, 2021
Teachers as Agents of Change
Key Findings:
- Teachers hold multiple roles beyond formal instruction within community systems
- Evidence from Darjeeling highlights teachers’ capacity to support child mental health in school settings
- Supports the conceptual foundation for school-based, teacher-delivered mental health approaches
Authors: O’Brien E, Dukpa C, Vanderburg JL, et al.
Publication series: ReFrame 2020: Beyond Clinical Contexts, 3, 67–71
Date: September 2020
Global Scoping & Policy
Psychosocial interventions for autistic children in LMICs: a scoping review
Key Findings:
- Non-specialist interventions improved communication and adaptive skills
- Multi-level systems involving community actors showed strong potential
- Supports scalability of task-shifted intervention models
Authors: Cherewick M, Daniel C, Cruz CM, Matergia M.
Journal: Frontiers in Psychology
Date: August 7, 2023
Acute Care & Re-entry
Caregiver experiences of adolescent school reentry after psychiatric hospitalization
Key Findings:
- Identified communication gaps between schools, families, and hospitals
- Highlighted academic and social reintegration challenges
- Calls for structured, family-informed reentry systems
Authors: Vanderburg JL, Tow AC, Marraccini ME, et al.
Journal: Journal of School Health
Date: December 27, 2022
School-related influences on adolescent suicide-related mental health
Key Findings:
- School experiences significantly influence adolescent mental health
- Interactions between academic, social, and environmental factors are key
- Supports integrated school-based mental health approaches