SALT LAKE CITY \u2014 LeAnn Wood, a mom and member of the Utah State Board of Education, calls her son\u2019s former school counselor \u201cone of the heroes of our family.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cShe was there when we needed that extra support,\u201d Wood said, noting that the counselor helped identify and address his social deficits when he was just in kindergarten. <\/p>\n
The counselor would open her office at lunchtime \u201cfor him to invite friends in to play games,\u201d Wood recalled. And she \u201cworked with him about that give and take and how to support other students and how to be friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another of Wood’s sons struggled with his mental health in high school. She credits a school psychologist with helping him work through grief after the death of his grandmother during the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love that the tools were in place for him to have that conversation with people that know how to work through that \u2013 the experts in the field of mental health \u2013 and that I had a place to turn to and they could do it at school,\u201d she said in a recent interview with FOX 13 News.<\/p>\n
School counselors and psychologists are seen as an increasingly important resource in Utah schools, especially as research shows more students are struggling with mental and behavioral health challenges.<\/p>\n
But data shows the state doesn\u2019t have enough professionals working in these roles \u2013 something that could make it more difficult for some students to access mental health support, especially in more rural parts of the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, if there’s not a mental health provider in that school, there is a gap in care for some of our students,\u201d said April Zmudka, president of the Utah Association of School Psychologists.<\/p>\n
Nearly 30% of Utah students in the eighth, tenth and twelfth grades experienced \u201cserious mental illness\u201d in 2023, according to a recent report on behavior and mental health<\/a> commissioned by the Utah State Board of Education. About 7% reported attempting suicide in the preceding year. And nearly 19% reported having \u201cseriously considered\u201d attempting suicide in the same timeframe.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re struggling to reach out to ask for help,\u201d Zmudka said of the state\u2019s students. \u201cThey don\u2019t know where to go.\u201d<\/p>\n School psychologists, she said, are uniquely positioned to identify and help support these students.<\/p>\n “That\u2019s our bread and butter is working with kids who have really complex needs and helping them to be successful both at school and in life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But there aren\u2019t nearly enough of these professionals in the state\u2019s schools. Data from the National Association of School Psychologists<\/a> shows there are nearly 2,000 students for every one school psychologist in the state. The organization\u2019s recommended ratio is one for every 500 students. Overall, Utah ranks 41st in the country for access to school psychologists, and about half of the state\u2019s schools don\u2019t have access to a full-time psychologist, according to the report prepared for the Utah State Board of Education.<\/p>\n The Utah Association of School Psychologists says<\/a> these shortages can lead to a host of consequences, including \u201cunmanageable caseloads,\u201d an “inability for school psychologists to provide prevention and early intervention services\u201d and \u201creduced access to mental and behavioral health services for some students.”<\/p>\n Schools without psychologists are often located in more rural parts of the state, and Zmudka says other professionals have had to step up to fill the gaps \u2013 including school counselors and social workers.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they also have large caseloads as well,\u201d she noted, as well as different professional backgrounds and training. \u201cSo they’re having to find time in their very strapped caseload to support a student that otherwise wouldn\u2019t get help.\u201d There\u2019s just one school counselor for every 500 students in Utah<\/a> \u2013 about double the recommended number. And the ratio of social workers is even worse.<\/p>\n While Utah ranks low for access to mental health professionals in schools, many other states are facing similar challenges, according to Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer at Inseparable, a group that advocates nationally for mental health policy.<\/p>\n That\u2019s due, in part, to low numbers of students in the pipeline for these jobs, which she noted require a \u201cgreat deal of training.\u201d One way policymakers can help, she said, is by financially supporting these students’ education and training.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s really an important area for lawmakers to look at,\u201d Kimball said, \u201cbecause I think a lot of times, people don’t understand just how much of a financial barrier there is to going into these professions.\u201d<\/p>\n Another challenge is the cost of staffing these positions. The behavioral and mental health report commissioned by the Utah State Board of Education noted difficulty \u201cattracting and retaining qualified and effective staff given that there are more lucrative employment options available for specialized mental health and behavior professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n The report said the annual average cost of a school psychologist is about $92,500, \u201cwhile the average psychologist in Utah earns nearly 20% more at $110,630.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of our larger school districts in the Salt Lake Valley area are desperately trying to fill more positions,\u201d Zmudka said. \u201cThey want more school psychologists. They want more school psychologists in each individual school. But again, that comes with identifying funding to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n