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Education is at a Crossroads: Help Us Illuminate the Path Forward.听

A new initiative from the University of Vermont hopes to address the shortage of mental health professionals available to support the state鈥檚 youth.

Known as the Catamount Counseling Collaborative for Rural Schools, the program plans to train and place 52 school counselors, social workers and mental health clinicians in rural schools throughout Vermont for the next five years.

 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found rising levels of depression and anxiety among Vermont middle and high school students. 

Despite this, Vermont lacks an adequate number of . In 2023, the state鈥檚 Workforce Development Board estimated a need for 230 more providers to meet growing demand. 

The new Catamount Counseling Collaborative for Rural Schools aims to address the gap. 

Through the program 鈥� funded by a $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education 鈥� University of Vermont graduate students are expected to contribute at least 25,000 clinical hours annually to support rural communities.

鈥淰ermont mental health needs are pervasive and complex and they鈥檙e currently underserved and this is a way to reach them,鈥� said Anna Elliott, associate professor of counseling.

Elliott, the principal investigator for the grant, has experience running a similar initiative in Montana, where she spent five years developing a program to support rural communities with mental health professionals. 

A key part of the program, Elliot said, is to encourage graduates to continue working in rural schools or mental health facilities after completing their training. She said she tailored the program to Vermont鈥檚 unique needs. This included analyzing various statistics from community needs assessments on issues such as suicide rates, substance use disorder and the stigma associated with seeking mental health services, ensuring the program aligns closely with the landscape of Vermont鈥檚 mental health needs.

鈥淥ne of our primary goals in setting up the training program was attending to students鈥� reports that they often didn鈥檛 feel prepared to go and work in a rural environment,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving an intensive and intentional training program that sets them up to really understand what they鈥檙e walking into and how to be prepared and how to ask for support incentivized students to stay, so we鈥檙e hoping to replicate that here.鈥�

The program offers a stipend to those who remain in their assigned schools for at least one year, helping to ease potential barriers like securing a full-time job or finding affordable housing.

In Montana, Elliott said she noticed some graduate students couldn鈥檛 stay in rural schools due to limited funding for permanent positions. Other challenges, including housing and job security, also made it difficult for them to remain in these high-need areas.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking the model that I did in Montana and integrating that in with the community schools model to not just say, 鈥榟ere鈥檚 a couple graduate students that will be here for a year鈥� but let鈥檚 actually take a systemic look at what鈥檚 happening in the school 鈥� what are the needs, resources, barriers and strength,鈥� Elliott said.

To address these challenges, the program focuses on recruiting graduate students who already come from rural areas. By offering low-residency options, the program allows these students to complete much of their coursework remotely. This means they can stay at home rather than moving to campus, making it easier for them to balance their studies with their existing commitments.

鈥淭his grant provides significant opportunity to bring students into the helping professions who might not otherwise have access to this kind of specialized training,鈥� said Danielle Jatlow, a co-principal investigator and social worker who coordinates UVM鈥檚 bachelor鈥檚 of social work program, in a press release from the university.

UVM faculty, including program co-leaders Robin Hausheer and Lance Smith, both associate professors of counseling, are starting outreach to rural schools. They hope to place graduate students in schools as early as this semester, according to the release.

鈥淭here are people and kids that are getting served this year that might not have been otherwise,鈥� Elliott said in the release. 鈥淪o that feels like everything.鈥� 

This was originally published on .

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