A new program is taking a page from teacher residencies to improve mental health outcomes for California’s most vulnerable students by recruiting and mentoring school counselors in the state’s rural Central Valley.
In partnership with Fresno Pacific University and six Tulare County school districts, the one-year program, housed at the county’s California Center on Teaching Careers, hopes to curb shortages that leave schools across the state with a student-to-counselor ratio of Have 1:461, almost 1:461. double the recommended 1:250.
Since its inception early this school year, the School Counselor Residency project has provided one-on-one support to a small pilot cohort of twelve counselors and appears likely to expand statewide. Counselors in training earn a Master of Arts in school counseling and a $45,000 living allowance while being mentored by experienced counselors in their region.
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“Through this path, we are truly able to create our own growth, which means preparing individuals from our own community who grew up here, who know parents…students from our own schools, to then become part of our system ” said Marvin Lopez , Executive Director of the Center.
The program is hands-on and requires 1,200 hours of clinical training and hands-on experience, 400 hours more than the required number to obtain a degree.
Like other residencies designed to boost the teacher pipeline, the model aims to recruit a more representative pool by removing the financial barriers and loans that professionals often take on to enter the field.
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Graduates of teacher residencies, after which the SCR program is modeled, are much more likely to stay in their school districts than those who entered through traditional or other alternative pathways, “stabilizing” the force, according to the Learning Policy Institute. The pools they recruit are also more racially diverse.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Why launch this residency now, and without it, what is at stake?
Marvin Lopez: Let me take you back ten years. In 2012, we began exploring residency models, specifically for teachers, across the country. We spent six years looking at models in California, Chicago, and New York City to see what the best practices are, and spent time with a number of universities that have been hosting teacher residencies for a while.
We realized we needed to bring such a trail to our area – we are in this central region of the state in California, near Sequoia, Yosemite, Fresno and Bakersfield. It is a very agricultural, rural area with low incomes and many high needs schools. We realized that we need a model like this not only for preparing teachers, but also mental health professionals – school social workers and school counselors. We have tackled the entire ecosystem of our school.
Through this path, we are really able to grow our own community, which means we prepare individuals from our own community who grew up here, who know their community, who know their parents. The students who were students of our own schools and then became part of our system.
To your question why, when you look at the student ratio of school counselors to students in our region, it is 1 to 460+, which is double what is recommended nationally. There is a gap that we are trying to close and bridge. By introducing this pathway, we can not only recruit local talent, but also prepare them in a way that gives them a full year of clinical experience. The data doesn’t lie.
What challenges did you all face before getting started, and what did you do to overcome them?
As a new route [it required] lots of information and education about the benefits of principals, and sharing residency retention data. I wouldn’t call it a challenge, it was a learning experience.
How might this residency impact what you’re all seeing regarding the youth mental health crisis, especially since you said the county you serve has predominantly high needs, schools that, as you said, have a major shortage of supportive mental health staff?
We are looking at the entire ecosystem of our schools and the workload of teachers, especially after the pandemic. The positive side is that many mental wellbeing issues have come to light and the public is more open to conversations. It is now more important and clear that we need more services; school counselors play a major role in that ecosystem, as do social workers. Providing another part of the support that our students need in the classroom is the impact we see. We provide more comprehensive support to our schools and students by preparing teachers, social workers and school counselors through our residency model.
I‘I’m wondering how big this is, what has the interest been like since you launched in September and how large a cohort are you hoping to recruit this first year?
Initially, our plan was to have a small pilot cohort of eight people. We started with twelve and we are already receiving requests from districts for next year. It appears that number could double, and that is due to the needs of our districts and the added value they see by having residents in their locations and the impact they are already having on their students.
Our goal is to actually scale and expand our program across the state. We work closely with a number of provincial offices on this work, and we are always willing to share best practices and provide guidance and support to other regions looking to implement a similar program.
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If You had to sum it up: What are three things you think people who take on this kind of work should keep in mind?
First: having a vision that puts the student at the center. Second, building and maintaining partnerships with your districts and universities. And ultimately, providing high-quality mentorship to residents, working with district leaders to ensure these individuals are school-ready.
Is there anything I haven’t asked you but are thinking about, or that you just want me to know?
In addition to living expenses for the residents, we also provide a $4,000 stipend for the mentors. That is unique, because they spend quite a bit of time throughout the year. It is important to recognize the efforts put into this by not only the residents, but also the mentors who play a major role in this process.
