In a significant step toward enhancing mental health services for school-age children South Carolina State University has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. This funding will be allocated to establish a new certificate program to train professionals who specialize in counseling children and adolescents with disabilities.
Dr. Bridget Hollis Staten is a professor within SC State’s rehabilitation counseling program. Staten, also the grant’s project director, emphasized the importance of this initiative. “This initiative is important to the field of disability and provides SC State’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program the opportunity to partner with Orangeburg Mental Health and Orangeburg County School District to train graduates to become school-based mental health counselors across the state of South Carolina,” she stated.
Addressing A Critical Need
The certificate program is designed in direct response to the growing need for qualified personnel in the mental health sector. Specifically it will target equipping professionals to support school-age children facing mental and disability-related challenges. Particular attention will be given to addressing the needs of racially and ethnically diverse populations, including multilingual individuals.
A central goal of the project is to increase the pool of qualified professionals from diverse backgrounds, ensuring these counselors are adequately prepared to engage with children and adolescents in culturally and linguistically responsive ways.
Graduates of the program will earn their master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling or counselor education. They will also receive a specialized certificate in counseling children and adolescents with disabilities. Furthermore, upon completion of their studies, they will be prepared to become licensed and certified counselors.
In its initial year, the grant will focus on developing the graduate certificate program. The plan is to begin offering student scholarships by Fall 2025. These scholarships will cover full tuition and fees while providing a cost-of-living stipend for 11 months. Graduate students will have the opportunity to pursue both the graduate certificate program and a master’s degree concurrently.
