What the Pilot Does

Virginia’s Higher Education Mental Health Workforce Pilot simultaneously expands student access to mental health care and helps build Virginia’s long-term licensed behavioral health workforce – results that could be scaled significantly with increased state investment.

How it Works

Appropriated funds underwrite the salary and benefits of an onsite LPC/LCSW candidate at participating public universities for ~two years, the period needed to complete supervision requirements for licensure. Universities hire, train and supervise candidates at their on-campus mental health care facilities, delivering immediate service capacity until licensed.

Fast Facts and Pilot Outcomes to Date

• Established by the General Assembly in 2022 (2022 Appropriation Act, Item 144#3c), with an additional round of pilot programs at flat funding for FY 2025 and FY 2026 ($500,000 each FY).

• Awarded current competitive pilot grants to five public universities: Christopher Newport, George Mason, James Madison, Longwood and Radford.

• Administered by SCHEV in consultation with the Virginia Health Care Foundation.

• Supported 14* LPC/LCSW candidates who have collectively to date:

o Served 2,224 students.
o Completed 11,865 clinical hours.
o Obtained 23,299 supervision hours.

• Hired within Virginia - 11 of the 14 candidates are Virginia residents and graduates of Virginia master’s programs.

• Retained Virginia talent - two candidates permanently hired by their pilot institutions.

Why the Pilot Works

1. Expands Access Immediately.

Pilot sites report:

• “40+ additional clients per week" now receiving counseling services at one institution.

• Students being seen more quickly and more consistently.

• Entire cohorts of students served who would have otherwise waited weeks or gone without care.

2. Strengthens Virginia’s Mental Health Workforce Pipeline.

• Candidates complete nearly all supervised hours required for licensure.

• Universities produce fully-trained clinicians with connections to Virginia/Virginia public higher education institutions.

• Two institutions have already hired their candidates permanently.

3. Reduces Burnout and Stabilizes Campus Counseling Centers.

Institutions cite:

• Reduced staff burnout.

• Improved crisis response.

• More sustainable caseloads.

• Expanded hours in some centers.

4. Applications far exceeded available funding.

• Received 10 applications for the 2022 round.

• Received 9 applications for the 2024 round.

• Funded 5 awards (most recent round) due to limited appropriation.

• Institutions want to participate in this program because it works.

These results underscore the pilot’s dual success: improving student access to services today while strengthening Virginia’s mental health workforce long-term. Institutions consistently reiterate the value of the program and its role in sustaining campus mental health systems strained by demand, turnover and limited applicant pools. Given the documented need and early success of the pilot, this report provides expanded analysis, institutional insights and recommendations for statewide scaling.

The Ongoing Need

• The State of Higher Education, 2024 identifies emotional stress and personal mental health as two of the top barriers to college enrollment and completion.

• Virginia institutions continue to see rising student mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, academic stress and financial strain.

• The pilot institutions alone served ~10,009 students this academic year.

• The current maximum award—~$100,000 per institution—is sufficient to support a candidate, but funding levels limit participation to five institutions.

Key takeaway: The Higher Education Mental Health Workforce Pilot is a proven, scalable and cost-effective solution helping Virginia meet urgent student mental health needs and build the licensed workforce our Commonwealth requires.
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*Note: Includes Round 1 candidate from Virginia Tech (VT exited program after first year to hire their candidate permanently). Four of the five current pilot sites have hired one candidate per round; Christopher Newport University matched a portion of the grant funds to support two candidates per round. James Madison hired a second round two candidate with a significant amount of previously accumulated hours; this applicant will move to a resident position funded by JMU once the grant funding is exhausted.