Abstract
This promising practice describes an innovative collaboration between West Virginia University, a land grant institution situated in the middle of rural Appalachia, and Kanawha County Schools, located in Charleston, WV. The partnership aimed to assist the rural school district by supporting children in three elementary schools and by providing the university’s school counseling students an immersion experience in rural schools, with the hope of retaining them in the school district following graduation. The collaboration fulfilled the original mission of the program in two ways; first, the school district retained one-third of the school counseling students who participated. Secondly, the collaboration was met with overwhelming support by district leadership, resulting in an increase in school counseling students entering the program in the next academic year.
Highlights
This promising practice describes an innovative collaboration between West Virginia University, a land grant institution situated in the middle of rural Appalachia, and Kanawha County Schools, located in Charleston, WV
Our promising practice is situated in Kanawha County, West Virginia, a state located wholly within the Appalachian region
Of the state’s 55 counties, Kanawha County ranks first in deaths due to alcohol and drug-related diagnoses, 17th in deaths due to drug overdose, and 14th in death by suicide rates (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, 2016). These long-standing issues often elicit substantial trauma to communities, families, and children, who routinely witness the debilitating impact of addiction, poverty, and substance use. These ramifications can best be conceptualized through the termas “Adverse Childhood Experiences” (ACEs; see Felitti et al, 1998), defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; n.d.) as “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years)”
Summary
This promising practice describes an innovative collaboration between West Virginia University, a land grant institution situated in the middle of rural Appalachia, and Kanawha County Schools, located in Charleston, WV. The collaboration fulfilled the original mission of the program in two ways; first, the school district retained one-third of the school counseling students who participated. A there is a nationwide shortage of school counselors (American Civil Liberties Union, 2019), who are often the only school-based mental health professionals qualified to support students’ social-emotional needs. Given the well-documented economic, social, and mental and physical health disparities common to Appalachia and West Virginia, there is an imminent need for school-personnel trained in supporting students experiencing trauma and crisis intervention. We highlight an innovative school--university partnership, referred to as the “School Counselor in Residence (SCIR) program,” an initiative developed to increase rural student access to qualified mental health resources while addressing school counselor shortages in West Virginia. We offer outcome data from SCIRs and key personnel (i.e., university personnel, school district personnel), and considerations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
