New numbers highlight the shortage of school-based mental health professionals in New Mexico. The University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO has launched a program seeking to target these gaps by mentoring those working directly with kids.
Vocovision, a national organization connecting school districts to therapists has reported that New Mexico ranks 3rd in the nation for education departments facing severe youth mental health care shortages. The report points to the state’s longstanding challenge of health care worker shortages, especially in rural areas.
Dr. Peter Holguin, co-director of ECHO’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program said these shortages combined with the high number of kids facing adverse childhood experiences, like living in poverty or experiencing PTSD, presents a unique and tough set of school professionals
“It’s not necessarily uncommon or unusual for school staff to be facing some of these challenges in a school setting where staff may not have the same level of mental health training to support these youth,” said Holguin.
The program brings medical, social and psychological perspectives and offers hands-on learning to people in careers that work directly with children.
Margaret Dolores, Children’s program director at Roberta’s Place, which helps people in Grants experiencing domestic violence, attended the training weekly by logging in remotely.
She said domestic violence is increasing throughout the state but being connected to something like ECHO, especially in her small community, makes the work feel less isolating and daunting.
“Seeing such a high waiting for mental health assistance can be very disheartening but with Project ECHO, we’re able to use the resources and information to mitigate the things that we can handle and then go through the process of getting the referrals,” said Dolores.
Holguin said many of the program’s participants are from schools ranging from teachers, nurses, and social workers. He explained that this program also underscores just how much of a stigma still surrounds mental health.
“Mental illness is very real and can have very significant and at times devastating effects for a person struggling with mental illness,” said Holguin.
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program has already covered depression, trauma, and self-harm and will launch their next series October 1st on substance use. These programs are free and professionals can join remotely and earn continuing education credits.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
