CSUMB Receives $6 million grant to expand mental health services for local youth 

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV)- California State University Monterey Bay was given a 5- year grant by the U.S. Department of Education to expand mental health services for local youth. 

The grant will be distributed in two parts. It will provide scholarships for CSUMB students who want to be a school psychologists or a school social worker, and it will also be used to improve mental health services for the youth that attend schools within the Monterey County School District.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Health -- 1 in 6 U.S. youth ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. It's why Vanessa Flores-- in her second year of the school psychology masters program at CSUMB -- wants to be a school psychologist.

"There has always been a need for mental health services in schools, but what I've learned in being in a school psychology program at CSUMB and working with schools in the community is that there has definitely been an influx of students with unmet needs," said Flores.

CSUMB is partnering with Monterey County Behavioral Health, Monterey County Office of Education, and AIM Youth Mental Health to implement the grant.

The grant given to CSUMB from the U.S. Department of Education is to increase the capacity to train future K-12 school-based mental health professionals to support mental health needs better.

"The school psychologist and school social worker students will be able to receive scholarships to obtain their credentials to provide mental health support in K-12 schools in our region," said Dr. Cathi Draper Rodriguez, School Psychology professor & Department Chair of Education and Leadership.

Vanessa has already started her practices at two Monterey County School District schools. She hopes this grant will provide more resources to support local youth.

"We are hoping with more resources, we can get ahead of the problem," said Flores. "And help students before they even need help or before it gets to the point where their problems become so extreme that they start falling behind." 

The grant will also help school psychologists and social worker students by providing them with workshops for them on campus.

CSUMB officials said the scholarships that psychologists and social worker students could apply to will be available starting this fall.

The grant will fund annual scholarships of $21,000 for ten school psychologists and ten social worker students.