Monmouth University Participates in School Based Mental Health Grant

Monmouth University and Jackson School District recently completed the inaugural partnership year of the School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Grant. The grant supports local education agencies in the recruitment, placement, hiring, and retention of school-based mental health professionals, in addition to the Supplemental College and Career Readiness Program (SCCRP).

Educational counseling graduate students Jessica Ma, Francesca Torraca, and Autumn Slocum are participating in SBMH for the fall semester; while Tetiana Drag and Arianna Hoffman previously worked within the program.

The five-year partnership project provides paid internships and field experiences for Monmouth students, as well as trainings to better prepare for future careers in school counseling and the opportunity to collaborate on SCCRP.

Led by Alyson Pompeo-Fargnoli, Ph.D., associate professor and program director of Educational Counseling and Leadership, SCCRP also offers Monmouth students hands-on experiences in leading college and career readiness counseling and support groups.

The readiness program is administered through SBMH, with support from Richard Veit, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs and professor in the Department of History, and Wendy Harriott, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Education and associate professor of Special Education, and assistance from Francine Swift, adjunct professor and field placement coordinator, who accommodates program interns with their clinical experience.

SCCRP specifically focuses on first-generation, college-bound students, and aims to increase access to higher education by introducing careers in education or human services.