UTRGV awarded $5.7 million to improve mental health at K-12 schools

_{UTRGV Executive Vice President and Provost Janna Arney (right) speaks with Nancy Razo, professor of practice and school psychology program coordinator in the Department of Human Development and School Services, and Alma D. Rodríguez, dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration, during the Feb. 2 news conference on a $5.7 million U.S. Education Department grant awarded to the university “to fund MHS ACCESS: Accessing Mental Health Services to address the shortage of mental health service professionals in area schools,” according to a university news release. The news conference was held in the UTRGV Center for Innovation and Commercialization in Weslaco.} _{PHOTO COURTESY JESUS ALFEREZ}

UTRGV’s Department of Human Development and School Services in the College of Education and P-16 integration has received a grant of $5.7 million to aid in hiring more Rio Grande Valley-area mental health professionals in K-12 schools.

Awarded by the U.S. Education Department under its Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program, the grant has been in use since January and will be disbursed over five years, according to Nancy Razo, a professor of practice and School of Psychology program coordinator.

The grant program “provides competitive grants to support and demonstrate innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health service providers for employment in schools,” according to the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Elementary & Secondary Education website.

“The whole purpose of the grant is to try and get schools to hire more [school psychology, social work and counseling graduate student] professionals that can provide those services in schools, rather than having to drive out to a private practice,” Razo said. “It’s building those services in schools.”

The department will partner with seven local school districts in the Valley–Brownsville, Edcouch-Elsa, Harlingen, McAllen, Mission, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo and Sharyland–where it will continue the work being done for the last 11 years.

“We partner with school districts to have our interns out there, our practicum students out there,” Razo said.

Suzanne Maniss, the chair of and a professor in the Department of Counseling, said the focus of the grant is “to help train more mental health professionals to help address the mental health needs that are at a crisis level nationwide.”

^{Nancy Razo, professor of practice and school psychology program coordinator in the UTRGV Department of Human Development and School Services, speaks about the $5.7 million federal grant awarded to UTRGV to “provide critical mental health services to K-12 students in the Valley,’’ according to a university news release. The news conference was held Feb. 2 in the UTRGV Center for Innovation and Commercialization in Weslaco.} ^{PHOTO COURTESY JUAN DE LA ROSA}

Valley schools have a shortage of social workers and school psychologists, according to the American School Counselor Association recommended ratio “of one school counselor per every 250 students.” The grant will help to increase these numbers in the seven districts, Maniss said.

Twenty-four interns in school psychology, counseling and social work will be placed across the seven districts, according to Razo.

“We work really, really hard in producing good students and the fact that now they were going to be rewarded monetarily through financial support was just so exciting,” Razo said.

Before the grant, the department did not know which district would have an opening for internships. The grant helps by securing internships for UTRGV students within the seven districts for the next five years, Razo said.

Eighty percent will increase their knowledge to use evidence-based practices and support the positive mental health of students in K-12, according to the U.S. Education Department website.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Maniss said. “We’re excited about the services we’re going to be able to provide to our communities, to our school and also the training aspects that will be available to the students in the three disciplines that are involved.”

During the span of five years, Razo is hoping they will be able to produce “120 high-quality trained students to be able to provide mental health services.”

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