Higher Education Mental Health Workforce Pilot. 2024 Annual Report

In response to urgent student mental health needs across Virginia's college campuses, the 2022 Virginia General Assembly appropriated funds to support a two-year mental health workforce pilot program at public institutions of higher education. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), in consultation with the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF), is charged with administering this pilot program. The mental health workforce pilot serves a dual purpose for higher education institutions. The pilot seeks to: (1) expand mental health services to students on campus at higher education institutions; and simultaneously (2) increase the mental health workforce pipeline by offering supervised clinical hours for the licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and licensed professional counselor (LPC) candidates who delivered those services to become licensed. The mental health pilot's two-pronged purpose addresses immediate student demand for services and long-term campus behavioral health workforce development, both of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The pilot is approximately one and a half years into implementation. SCHEV is satisfied with the progress. Specifically, improving the ability to meet the student demand for counseling/social work services and stabilizing/reducing burnout of LPC and LCSW staff at the student health/counseling centers. Several key findings from the pilot, some recurring and some new along with recommendations from SCHEV, have emerged for consideration.