School-Based Mental Health

Ed. S. in School Psychology Graduate Program Application

Thank you for your interest in the Ed.S. in School Psychology program at Nevada State University! To complete your application, you will need:

1. A thoughtful written personal statement including responses to all of the following topics

- What is your goal after earning this degree (post grad)?
- Personal motivation for earning this degree?
- Describe a challenging situation you found yourself in and how you resolved it.
- Briefly discuss your educational and/or professional journey. If relevant, include experiences, skills, and/or engagement related to school psychology, education, or special education.
- Identify a strength and a weakness that relates to you as a student.

2. Three (3) letters of recommendation (recommender information will be uploaded into the application)

3. Applicants must have a 3.0 undergraduate GPA

4. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

5. $30 non-refundable application fee

Please note that the GRE is not required for admission to our program.

Questions?

Are you interested in learning more about the program? Please sign up for a Q & A session.

Q & A Session Sign-Up

Join the Program

The application will be available from September 5, 2023 to January 31, 2024. An interview is part of our application process. You will be notified in February 2024 if you have been selected to move to the interview portion.

Apply Now

The Artery

The ARTERY Pipeline Framework represents Active Recruitment, Training, and Educator Retention to serve our Youth (Dockweiler, 2019). This career ladder offers stacked degree programs with a variety of entry and exit points to best serve the diverse needs of Nevada State’s students. The ARTERY begins to address the workforce needs of Nevada as it focuses on the shortage of school-based mental health professionals. Whether you are a high school student, two- or four-year college student, working graduate, or graduate student there is an entry point for you.

School-Based Mental Health Careers

In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a State of Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Child and adolescent mental health have been in crisis for years and in Nevada, there is a significant shortage of school-based mental health providers to proactively address this growing need.

The three school-based mental health professionals who are uniquely trained to address students’ mental health needs are school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers. Each career field requires a graduate degree to obtain a license by the State of Nevada to practice in the school setting.

School psychologists are trained in mental health, learning, and behavior to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. They conduct assessments to assist school teams with interventions and supports in a variety of domains.

School counselors are trained to help students succeed in school and to help plan their career path. They help students plan healthy goals, mindsets, and behaviors to reduce obstacles that prevent students from reaching their potential.

School social workers are trained to provide services relative to a person’s social, emotional, or life adjustment to school and/or society. They are the link between the home, school, and community to promote and support students’ academic and social success.

School-Based Mental Health Minor at Nevada State

Learn more about each career field with our undergraduate minor in School-Based Mental Health. This 18-credit minor can be taken with any undergraduate degree. There are similarities among the three professions and unique differences that distinguish their scope of practice.

Course Work In The Minor

EDU 203 Introduction to Special Education

EDU 221 Introduction to School-Based Mental Health

EDU 345 School-Based Mental Health Field Experience

EDSP 452 Assessment for Special Education Teachers

EDSP 464 Intensified Instruction through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Select one course from list below:

COU 300 Introduction to Counseling
EDSP 432 Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

Nevada Legislation

In 2019 the state legislature passed two bills specifically addressing the school-based mental health professions. Senate Bill 89 required that ratios of professionals to students be established for each career field, and Senate Bill 319 outlined the role and scope of practice for school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers. In April 2020 the Nevada State Board of Education passed the recommended ratios for school-based mental health professionals. These ratios follow national best practice and are as follows:

School Psychologists – 1:500
School Counselors – 1:250
School Social Workers – 1:250

As a result, Nevada has identified a need for over a thousand school-based mental health professionals. The ARTERY was created to specifically address this need and to locally grow more school-based mental health providers to proactively work with our students in the school setting.

THE GRANT

Nevada State School of Education has received a $656,000 five-year grant to build career pathways for training school-based mental health professionals. We are focusing particularly on the development of a pathway for individuals to become school psychologists.