By Sky Strauss, Staff Writer
The Arthur Center is actively seeking a licensed professional counselor or licensed clinical social worker who will be placed at Missouri Military Academy full time.
The position was created following the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding between Arthur Center Community Health and MMA on Oct. 15.
“Missouri Military Academy has long supported cadets’ mental and behavioral health through on- and off-campus therapy, wellness education, and programs promoting positive mental health and healthy decision-making,” Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret), MMA president said in an email. “This approach also allows us to save resources for both the Academy and our families by utilizing a local partnership and eliminating the need to go outside of the local area for support.”
As part of the contract, Arthur Center Community Health will credential a new counselor for MMA who will have a dedicated office space on campus and handle administrative tasks such as insurance billing.
In addition to expanded mental and behavioral health services, the partnership offers primary and dental care referrals, including optometry, through Arthur Center Community Health. It will also provide on-campus training sessions for faculty, staff and cadets once a semester, as well as virtual training sessions for parents that will cover topics such as recognizing mental health needs.
“It’s all about partnership and community,” Kerri Ferrari, lead of school based initiatives at the Arthur Center, said. “How can we help each other with the same goal of helping the cadets?”
And since the cadets live there full time, Ferrari said that emotional wellness becomes even more of a priority at a boarding school, especially when they may be missing familial support.
“Aligning directly with the Academy’s established learning outcomes, specifically for cadets to proactively develop healthy lifestyle and habits, the partnership strengthens how we help cadets develop essential skills and tools to make healthy decisions, supporting their mental, physical, and emotional well-being,” Geraci said in an email. “Through expanded access to counseling availability, health education sessions, and proactive care, MMA reinforces the habits of self-discipline and personal responsibility that are central to our 360° Education model. This approach empowers cadets to manage stress, seek support when needed, and cultivate resilience, skills that translate into lifelong wellness beyond the Academy.”