Leadership in Counseling Scholarship

About the creation of the Leadership in Counseling Scholarship:

The University of South Dakota currently offers a curriculum for a master's degree in school counseling and a mental health counseling certificate, but it does not require them together. The Leadership in Counseling Scholarship will be available on an application basis to students who will be entering the MA School Counseling program at USD. It will require that they complete the mental health counseling certificate while completing their master's program in order to more appropriately prepare them for the population that they will be working with. This CoyoteFunder initiative will help create more knowledgeable and effective school counselors that earn their education from USD. 

Why counselors are imperative to the success and well being of all students: 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2007, 5.4% of children aged 3-17 years had been diagnosed with anxiety. That prevalence has grown to 7.1% as of 2018. They also reported that almost 50% of children who are diagnosed with depression also have behavior problems. It is imperative now more than ever that school counselors are prepared for the mental health-related demands that will be placed on them with this growing prevalence.

Any gift, large or small, in support of starting the Leadership in Counseling Scholarship will help provide assistance to those who seek an education at USD and hope to become more knowledgeable in their career fields.