Whitworth University is branching out into the community to address mental health in local schools and is making history in the process.
Whitworth has been awarded a $3.37 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish the Whitworth University School-Based Mental Health Partnership Program (WU-MHPP). This is the largest grant Whitworth has ever received in its history, according to a Whitworth news release.
This program is directed by Renee’ Schoening, PhD., the director of school counseling & social-emotional learning graduate programs. Schoening and other Whitworth faculty worked with McAllister & Quinn, a grant-writing consulting firm, to apply for this grant.
The WU-MHPP is expected to increase access to certified school counselors for 30,000 Eastern WA students and place trainees into 35-40 high-need schools, according to the grant application.
There is a shortage of trained counselors in Eastern Washington schools, which is leading to poor mental health, behavior, attendance and academic outcomes in students.
This program aims to “build a sustainable pipeline of high-quality and diverse school counselors as well as increase the number of school counselors in Spokane’s suburban schools who can provide effective social, emotional and mental health support for the region’s growing population of students who are refugees or recent immigrants,” according to the grant application.
“The greatest effect is that we’re helping young people to be healthier in a school environment from a mental health perspective,” said Aaron Putzke, a biology professor and campus liaison for McAllister & Quinn.
One pillar of this program is how it is going to support Spokane’s refugee and immigrant populations. The mental health needs of refugee or immigrant students are not being met by schools. The WU-MHPP aims to address this problem by providing training on how to address trauma, how to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers and how to reduce the stigma of receiving mental health help.
“The structure of this program is designed… to help bridge the gap between these underserved and marginalized communities and the resources we offer here at Whitworth,” said Olivia Dugenet, the director of the office of sponsored programs.
Another pillar of the WU-MHPP is how it is going to help rural communities and schools in Eastern WA get the trained counselors they need.
“[Schoening] came up with this idea to use Whitworth as a hub, and then to train and be able to place people into these rural school districts so that they can provide increasing amounts of mental health resources to the students that need them,” said Putzke.
This is an example of a Grow Your Own initiative, which allows teachers in those schools to get their certification instead of hiring elsewhere.
“Instead of trying to recruit random people from all over the place, it finds people who already live in those communities, are already invested, [and] who want to be there long term,” said Dugenet.
Although Schoening is the director of this program, this grant would not have been awarded if it hadn’t been for the many Whitworth faculty and partners helping make this program a reality.
Putzke helps people get started on applying for big grants for projects like this one and works to set them up for success. McAllister & Quinn grant writing consultants helped write the application.
Dugenet and her team at the office of sponsored programs helped with budget development, support, and submission. Dugenet says that once the grant has been received, her office continues to work by setting up accounts, tracking spending, and working with faculty to ensure the project is on track and adhering to all guidelines.
“It was really great watching the way Whitworth pulled together so many diverse resources into this really focused, really bright and motivated work group and accomplish something pretty amazing for the whole state,” said Dugenet.
