AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta University is receiving nearly a million dollars in federal funding to improve mental health services and lessen the shortage of counselors in Georgia schools.
The grant, in the amount of of $950,822, is from the Bipartisan Safe Communities Act which was passed in 2022. Supplied through the Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Grant Program, the funding is set towards helping local schools train and retain mental health professionals.
Over the course of five years, the program at Augusta University aims to place 64 school counseling interns in 15 “high-need” schools to meet the mental health and wellness needs of approximately 10,000 students. After graduating from the university’s counselor education program, participants can apply for a school counseling position in an area of need.
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