TRANSCRIPT:
For South Carolina Public Radio, I'm Dr. Rénard Harris from the College of Charleston. This is Teachable Moments, a minute of education for students and parents.
Students in South Carolina are more likely to access mental health services in schools than in any other setting. However, the state has struggled to decrease the ratio of counselors to students and in 2022, reported one mental health counselor for every 1,300 students.
To address the issue, several universities including the University of South Carolina, Clemson university and South Carolina State have recently launched grant-funded programs to recruit, train, and graduate more school counselors, targeting placement in high-need schools.
These efforts recognize that good mental health is crucial for students' overall learning ability and aim to address the growing youth mental health crisis.
For the College of Charleston, I’m Dr. Rénard Harris.