"The kids are not all right, and they aren’t afraid to tell you that.

On college campuses in Virginia and nationwide, students are increasingly reporting struggles with mental health. Study after study has shown rising cases of anxiety, depression and other forms of psychological distress among students aged 18 to 25 — trends that predate but were exacerbated by the isolation and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Even as demand has risen, the number of professionals available to meet that demand has fallen in Virginia, with data showing it could shrink ever further as a wave of behavioral health providers prepare to retire. 

Now, Virginia is trying to harness campuses’ soaring demand for mental health services to meet another goal: get more young professionals in the pipeline to provide them. In 2022, lawmakers added $1 million to the state’s two-year budget for a pilot program that would pay salaries and benefits for counseling and social work graduates pursuing state licensure to work at campus student health and counseling centers.

A May 30 report from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), as well as interviews with participating universities and other people involved in the effort, indicate that nearly a year after the General Assembly signed off on the initiative, it’s showing promising results," reports Virginia Mercury.

Photo: Christopher Newport University. (CNU)