With an influx of over 15 million dollars in grants in the last 18 months and a new
research center designation, the School Mental Health Collaborative (SMHC) Center
at the USF College of Education is rapidly growing and changing the model of school
mental health support for students in Florida.
The center located on the Tampa campus, utilizes a prevention approach with a resilience
and well-being focus to address the student mental health crisis. “Getting out in
front and employing prevention practices to reduce mental health problems of students
is a radically different model,” said Nate von der Embse, co-director of the SMHC Center.
Responding to a mental health crisis
According to the National Comorbidity Survey: Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), almost
20% of youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder; however, only 20% of students
exhibiting symptoms are identified and subsequently receive intervention services.
The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that 15.6% of Florida high school students
reported that they seriously considered attempting suicide, while 7.9% reported having
attempted suicide in the previous 12 months. Since nearly 80% of all mental health
services for children are delivered within the school setting, it is critical to develop
effective school-based strategies to help our youth in need.
A new model for student mental health care
“There will never be enough school psychologists, counselors and social workers for
one-to-one care of students,” said von der Embse. “We have to rethink, reconceptualize
how mental health services are provided in schools. The old model was to wait for
a student to exhibit significant psychological distress, provide intensive supports
and then put them back in the same environment. Now, we are providing professional
development to educators and school mental health practitioners at the district level
to put systems in place to improve the whole school environment.”
“The center works closely with districts to install a dual factor model of mental
health, leading with building wellness and resiliency in students and secondarily,
reducing mental health symptoms,” said David Wheeler, new director of the SMHC Center.
“The SMHC Center at the USF College of Education is emerging as the singular source
for prevention for student mental health services in Florida, with a burgeoning national
network with partners across the U.S.,” said von der Embse.
Growth of the SMHC Center
The SMHC was first established in 2019 by a group of researchers at the University of South Florida and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of the collaborative is to partner with research centers across the U.S. with a shared mission and vision that will improve access to school mental health services.
SMHC co-directors von der Embse, Shannon Suldo and Evan Dart submitted a proposal to establish the center, and it was approved by University of South Florida President Rhea Law on Nov. 29, 2022. The Board of Governors was notified, and a letter from the State University System of Florida was sent detailing that the SMHC was now a new research center on Dec. 8, 2022.
Currently, SMHC staff are providing technical assistance in four of the largest school
districts in the U.S.—Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties—impacting
the mental health care of over a half million students.
The SMHC Center facilitates research to practice partnerships between USF researchers
and schools in the Tampa Bay area and beyond, while shaping policy and promoting best
practices in student mental health services at the district, state and national levels.
The center has hired a full-time director, doctoral level staff and multiple graduate
research assistants, and will be hiring more full-time staff and support personnel
in the coming months. The SMHC is committed to recruiting and retaining trainees from
underrepresented and marginalized groups and to intentionally partnering with urban
and under-resourced public schools.
Learn more about the School Mental Health Collaborative here.