Getting Our K-12 Students the Mental Health Services They Need

Our schools are facing a mental health crisis, particularly in communities that were hardest hit by the pandemic. And yet, fewer than half of public schools in the U.S. report that they can effectively provide mental health services to all students who need them. That is according to a survey done earlier this year by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Cal State East Bay's College of Education and Allied Studies and its partners are working to change that thanks to a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools & Communities funding program.

"This is a welcome partnership with a local university to bring students into schools and to help create intentional career pathways," Hayward Unified Superintendent Jason Reimann said. "It's a huge opportunity to support our mental health professionals with much-needed resources. It is also another example of how CSUEB continues to be an ally of."

The grant will back the School-Based Collective Wellness: The East Bay Partnership Model, a transformative project designed to address the region's critical shortage of school-based mental health professionals.

"All children in the East Bay deserve high-quality mental health services, irrespective of their background," said Robert Williams, Cal State East Bay Dean of Education and Allied Studies. "These grants set up our public school students for tremendous success."

"In San Leandro, we know that student mental health is foundational to being present, engaged and empowered," said SLUSD Assistant Superintendent Sonal Patel. "This is why our SLUSD graduate profileemphasizes developing healthy minds and bodies. We are thrilled this grant brings mental health and counseling professionals from our community who understand the complexity and beauty of supporting students' daily mental health and wellness."

The project brings together a coalition of educational partners - Hayward Unified School District, San Leandro Unified School District, San Lorenzo Unified School District, Chabot College of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District and the Community Counseling Clinic housed in the Department of Educational Psychology in partnership with Hayward Promise Neighborhood. The aim is to increase the number of trained school-based mental health professionals and provide culturally responsive services to underserved students in the East Bay.

"Mental and emotional health is among the greatest challenges our students face," said Ronald P. Gerhard, chancellor of Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. "Addressing the lack of sufficient school-based mental health professionals in our area presents an opportunity that the educational partners in our region must embrace collectively. We've shown that through strong partnerships, our institutions are better positioned to support students and their families."

This initiative will focus on training and placing graduate students from CEAS's School Counseling and School Psychology programs in high-need schools throughout the partner districts. Each year, 16-20 graduate students will engage in supervised internships, helping to alleviate the burden on existing school counselors and psychologists, who currently face overwhelming student-to-provider ratios far exceeding national recommendations.

"It is imperative that we continue to train high-quality school psychologists and school counselors to expand access to school-based mental health services," said Kavita Atwal, Cal State East Bay assistant professor of educational psychology and co-PI on the grant. "This grant enables us to continue this work while creating more training opportunities with a focus on teaching culturally responsive practices, creating positive systems' change and working with community members in under-resourced areas. This will, in turn, help create safe and supportive environments where all students can learn."

The program also aims to build sustainable pathways into mental health professions for high school and community college students from diverse backgrounds. Working closely with Chabot College, the initiative will offer a clear route from high school to a Master's degree in School Counseling or School Psychology at CSUEB, ensuring a pipeline of future mental health professionals who are well-equipped to serve their communities.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.