JANUARY 27, 2023 — School psychology graduate students at UTSA will earn valuable, hands-on experience while providing much-needed mental health services to Southwest Independent School District students through a new partnership between the university and the school district.
A $3.74 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education enabled the partnership between faculty in the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) and the College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP) that will serve Southwest ISD students at a critical time. Dubbed Project BEAMS (Behavioral, Emotional and Mental Support), the new initiative creates an innovative school-based mental health partnership that will increase the number and diversity of school psychologists and expand mental health offerings at SWISD.
“Ongoing shortages of school psychologists, coupled with long-term effects of COVID and other stressors, have overwhelmed schools and their ability to address student mental health needs,” said Victor Villarreal, UTSA Department of Educational Psychology associate professor and grant recipient. “We’re excited to partner with SWISD—via Project BEAMS—to create new intensive mental health training opportunities for UTSA students and to expand the pipeline of school psychologists and mental health programming at SWISD at such a critical time.”
The grant from the U.S. Department of Education Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration program will help pay 25 UTSA school psychology graduate students to participate in the project. Students are eligible for up to $34,000 per year—for up to two years—to help with tuition and fees and for paid assistantships.
School psychologists are trained to recognize when students struggle behaviorally, such as when they have trouble making new friends or communicating well. They then develop supports and interventions that will help students learn better and function better in schools. Providing school psychology students with opportunities to get hands-on experience in schools is vital to their education and career success.
“Not only will this grant provide an opportunity to enhance UTSA school psychologists’ training to work with high-need local educational agencies, incorporating curriculum and workshops on positive youth development and multiculturalism, but this grant will have an immediate positive impact on SWISD, and for me, represents a burgeoning collaboration between HCAP, COEHD, Community in Schools and our local school systems,” said Alan Meca, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and another grant recipient.
UTSA school psychology graduate students will institute a multi-tiered system of support models of mental health and social-emotional programs at high-needs SWISD schools. They also will implement various evidence-based activities meant to help individual students and develop social-emotional learning curricula, mental health cognitive skills programs and positive identity development programs. They will work with Communities In Schools to provide these services.
“School districts need school psychologists, and there’s unfortunately a very small pool of candidates. We want to help grow the field of school psychology, and through this partnership we can help build a strong foundation for those just starting their journey in this field,” said Albrey Hogan, SWISD executive director of special education. “This partnership will allow us to bring in first-year school psychology students and give them an up-close look at what is needed from a school psychologist to support students and teachers to address mental health.”
UTSA is committed to expanding the field of school psychology at a time when schools are seeing an increased demand for licensed psychologists who specialize in working with children. COEHD added a doctoral degree program in school psychology that will launch in the fall, the first program of its kind in the area that meets a pivotal need for advanced training for students.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
In this virtual event, Kimberly Ming shares her collection of work that is vulnerable and raw. It has the potential to help mixed and multicultural people know they are not alone. It also has the power to bridge cultural gaps that many seek to understand in a real and deeper way.
Virtual EventIn partnership with Metro Health, HCAP will host a lecture discussing the life and body of work of Dr. Fernando Guerra, longtime director of the Metropolitan Health District.
Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusJoin our team to reflect on the students’ achievements and challenges during the semester and explore techniques, strategies, and tools to address growth mindset, self-reliance, and what it takes to keep students committed and on the path to success
Multidisciplinary Studies (MS 240) and VirtualThis course will introduce you to this popular graduate program, providing a review of UTSA’s Employee Educational Benefit program and MPA info. Free lunch will be provided!
Mesquite Living Lab, Main CampusDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza , Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair is a party with a purpose! The annual art-focused fundraising celebration provides operating support for UTSA Arts, which is dedicated to community arts education for children and adults, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships to enhance the accessibility of the arts for the public.
UTSA Southwest, 300 Augusta, San Antonio TX 78205This year’s UEA ceremony will be an in-person event that will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25 in the H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106) on the UTSA Main Campus. The ceremony will feature UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar and representatives from Staff and Faculty Senate.
H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106), Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
