In a true team endeavor, two faculty members in Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development have secured the largest grant in the college’s history. 

“Train & Retain: A University-District Partnership to Strengthen Student Mental Health,” is a joint grant earned by Jordon Beasley, PhD, and Alicia Becton, PhD, and is a multi-pronged approach to include four objectives.

“This is huge for our program,” said Becton, co-lead on the project.  

The nearly $5 million Department of Education grant will enhance the infrastructure to train and educate school counselors studying at AU who will directly participate in the Richmond County School System, providing additional scaffolding and support for the essential mental health needs of high school students. 

The purpose of the Train & Retain program, a strategic partnership between AU’s Counselor Education program and the Richmond County School System, is grounded in educator wellness and aims to equip school counseling interns with the social and emotional knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to meet the mental health needs of students in high-need K-12 public schools. 

“This grant is the result of a shared vision that recognized the urgent need to address mental health support for educators and students in Richmond County schools,” said Beasley. “Over the course of several months, we collaborated with key stakeholders from Augusta University and Richmond County schools to design a comprehensive and innovative plan.” 

That plan and innovation led to a new initiative that will ensure better training for counselors to become qualified mental health professionals – adding layers of skill-based training to learn to care for their own health and wellness.  

Becton is the department chair of COEHD’s Research, Counseling, and Curriculum program and shares the collaborative nature and goals of the grant.  

“We aim to develop a pipeline of mental health professionals – this will have a direct impact to increase capacity and the types of students that can pursue this route,” she said.  

The funding changes the dynamic of the program, opening it and broadening the opportunities for non-traditional students with paid internships. 

“These counselors will be immersed and trained at an elevated level, highly skilled,” Becton said.

COEHD Dean Judi Wilson, PhD, highlights relevant, responsive and respective; stories of impact with support by championing the faculty and grant funding.

“It is the perfect trifecta,” Wilson said. “Addressing gaps in support system: social, emotional and mental health needs after COVID and the hurricane impacts, we are seeing changing emotional needs.” 

“We’d like to give a shout-out to Dean Wilson – since I arrived at AU, she has been a big support as our department continues to seek to enhance our research, teaching and service,” said Becton.

“We’re exceptionally grateful for the instrumental strategy and long-time advocacy that she’s provided to help us achieve this grant,” Beasley added.

As a team, they will work collaboratively to oversee the implementation of this project with each bringing complementary expertise to the initiative. Becton focuses on institutional support, including budget, report and compliance, as well as mental health training, inclusive practices and community partnerships with RCSS and Paine College. Beasley focuses on educator wellness, school district implementation and program development.

According to the team, school counselors are often the first line of support for students experiencing mental health challenges, which can be emotionally demanding.

“If counselors are not managing their own wellness, it can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue and reduced effectiveness,” said Beasley. “Prioritizing personal care ensures they can show up fully for their students, modeling healthy behaviors and sustaining their ability to provide meaningful support. Research shows us that children and adolescents learn best through modeling than through direct instruction. It is important for the adults in the building to model social and emotional competence.”

Over five years, the program aims to place 64 school counseling interns in 15 high-need schools to provide evidence-based inclusive practices to meet the mental health and wellness needs of approximately 10,000 students. 

“The training will be enhanced through evidence-based professional development programs that incorporate social-emotional wellness strategies, trauma-informed practices and responsive teaching techniques,” Beasley added. “By embedding these components into existing counselor training, we aim to equip mental health professionals with the tools needed to care for both their students, educators and themselves.” 

Upon graduation from the program, each Train & Retain participant will apply for a school counseling position at a high-need school to be considered for employment.

Train & Retain has four key objectives that meet the absolute and competitive preference priorities: To increase the number of qualified school counselors to provide school-based mental health services in Richmond County; to increase the number of school counselors from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, expand AU’s school counseling interns’ competencies in evidence-based inclusive practices; and to increase the number of AU-trained school counselors.

“This funding validates the importance of addressing mental health at both the student and educator levels,” Beasley added. “It also amplifies our ability to create meaningful change, showing that our community and stakeholders believe in this vision. Personally, I think it is exciting to see a dream become reality and to know that we are shaping the future of education and mental health in our community.”

While the Train & Retain initiative is their primary focus, they are already exploring ways to expand the work, including additional funding opportunities to scale the project, expanding partnerships with other districts and community agencies, and deepening their research on the long-term effects of these programs, with their long-term goal of developing a model that other districts can replicate nationwide.