South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) announced an increase in the number of school-based mental health counselors able to serve South Carolina students on Jan. 25
Based on a survey in September 2023, the number of school-based mental health counselors doubled from 600 in January 2022 to 1,209 at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
“In just the past two years, we have made significant progress in providing school-based mental health services to school-aged children,” said McMaster. “With an ongoing mental health crisis, especially among our young people, it is critical that we continue to build upon these efforts and ensure mental health resources are available and accessible to our state’s children.”
In January 2022, the ratio of mental health counselor-to-student ration was only 1:1,300, and only about 60% of mental health counselors available in South Carolina schools were employed by the S.C. Department of Mental Health. SCDHHS Director Robby Kerr responded to these findings and recommended ways to improve access to mental health services in South Carolina schools. His goal was to cut the mental health counselor-to-student ratio in half by 2023. The recommendations were implemented on July 1, 2022.
According to the September 2023 survey, the mental health counselor-to-student ratio improved to approximately 1:635, and most of the school-based mental health counselors in the state are directly employed by a school district. Mental health counselors are now available in every school district in the state.
“This tremendous progress in improving access to vital services for our state’s children was achieved by adopting a collaborative approach between state agencies, local school districts, and the private sector,” said SCDHHS Director Kerr. “The emphasis on providing these services through our public schools is important as research from the South Carolina School Behavioral Health Academy shows children are 21 times more likely to access a mental health service through a school than in another setting.”
For more information about SCDHHS’s school-based mental health services initiative, visit https://www.scdhhs.gov/resources/programs-and-initiatives/school-based-mental-health-services.
