WILLIAMSBURG — The William & Mary School of Education’s School Psychology program has been awarded $3 million to address the ongoing mental health crisis among youth, the school announced.
The Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Office of Safe & Supportive Schools.
The funding will be allocated over five years, from 2025 to 2029, to support “Training Empowered Advocates for Mental Health in Schools,” or Project TEAMS. The project is designed to build a sustainable pipeline of diverse, highly trained school psychologists dedicated to serving high-needs K-12 school divisions in Virginia, the university explained.
Project TEAMS responds directly to the urgent need for mental health resources in Virginia schools, where access to services ranks among the lowest in the U.S., according to William & Mary. The state currently ranks 48th in mental health services for children and youth.
“Even before the pandemic, the surgeon general had declared a national mental health crisis among youth. When the pandemic happened, it just made everything worse,” said Associate Dean, Director of Inclusive Excellence and Associate Professor of School Psychology Leandra Parris, Principal Investigator (PI) of the program.
Compounding this issue, William & Mary adds Virginia’s school districts are severely understaffed with a state ratio of one school psychologist for every 1,623 students — far from the recommended ratio of one per 500 students. This shortage is even more pronounced in the regional partnering school divisions, including Newport News, Norfolk and Chesapeake.
“On the one hand, we have a massive mental health crisis that’s impacting the ability of students to learn and to be successful, and on the other, we don’t have enough people to mitigate or prevent harm,” said Parris.
Project TEAMS aims to bolster student mental health while also building sustainable infrastructure within the partner school divisions, according to William & Mary.
“There’s a recruitment piece with the goal of bringing more diverse school psychologists into the field, but then there’s also the service piece, in terms of what we’re actually doing day-to-day to help K-12 students,” said Associate Professor of School Psychology Janise Parker, who serves as co-PI. “It’s a multifaceted approach because we’re addressing various levels of need. We are essentially using a public health-based model to address needs across multiple layers from prevention to intervention.”
Undergraduate and graduate students will fulfill internship and practicum requirements while also providing mental health support to K-12 students. Project TEAMS will implement a pipeline program in collaboration with local Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and HBCUs, including Hampton University, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University, as well as Virginia Peninsula Community College and undergraduate programs at William & Mary.
This includes early career support and mentorship opportunities aimed at fostering long-term commitment among school psychologists in Virginia’s underserved communities.
“This grant is a dream come true for me because it’s the result of years of listening to students and teachers in the field, but especially students,” said Parker. “They’ve shared their challenges and needs, and what they’ve said has informed how we designed Project TEAMS. Now, we can provide the kinds of supports they identified as helpful.”
Parris added: “Our work is deeply rooted in the community. We are committed to training school psychologists who understand the real needs of classrooms and who feel equipped and motivated to stay in these communities and provide the mental health support that students desperately need.”
— Read the full story on the William & Mary School of Education website.
