In 2021, South Carolina Governor McMaster ordered an audit of the state’s ability to provide adequate mental health services to school-aged children. The Department of Mental Health audit uncovered a severe shortage of behavioral health services, with more than half of South Carolina public schools unable to offer services. According to the report, South Carolina currently has a ratio of  only 1 mental health counselor available for every 1,300 public school students. Best practices stipulate that states should aim for a ratio of 1:250. As is the case nationally, this shortage comes at a time when South Carolina’s children are experiencing crisis conditions, with the state audit noting that the proportion of emergency mental health calls from children aged 14 and under is growing faster than any other demographic group in the state. A similar shortage exists for adult mental health services in South Carolina. The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health notes that South Carolina ranks in the bottom quintile of U.S. states for mental health workforce availability. While SAMHSA estimates that 37.6% of South Carolinians experience depression or anxiety, there is a marked lack of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) across the state. Additionally, the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium reports that 17 of 46 South Carolina counties have no psychiatrists and depend completely upon counselors and therapists. There is also a significant demand for continuing education credits required for LPC licensure renewal. In a November 2021 meeting between CCU administrators and the Waccamaw Center for Mental Health (Conway), Director Jackie Brown and HR Director Ann O’Connor voiced a critical need to have quality continuing education and licensure training for Center staff.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, projects that nationwide demand for mental health workers across a variety of occupational titles will grow by 13% through 2030 (approximately 18,090 positions). The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the job outlook for school counselors and for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors outpace the average growth rate for all other occupations. In South Carolina, the U.S. Department of Labor projects that by 2030, job growth will increase by 13.5% (approximately 5,950 positions) for school counselors and by 23.4% (approximately 2,060 positions) for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. Counselors are currently in high demand across the state. Job advertisements seeking certified practitioners include the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, the South Carolina Youth Advocate Program, Upward Bound, the Veterans Health Administration, various behavioral health settings, drug and alcohol facilities, summer camps, and university settings. P-12 school counselors in South Carolina are particularly needed. The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement reported that there were 37 school counselor vacancies in South Carolina during the 2022-2023 academic year, and some school systems have left open their school counselor job posting for more than six months. In Horry County, there are currently several openings for school counselors at Myrtle Beach High School, Carolina Forest High School, Conway High School, Aynor High School, and St. James High School. The surrounding county school systems of Georgetown, Williamsburg, Florence, and Marion are also advertising for school counselors, school psychologists, and behavior modification specialists.

Two courses in this program (EDSC 518, EDSP 635) are currently taught in other programs. These courses will see increased enrollments. Department chairs and program coordinators have been notified and are prepared to accommodate the increase in enrollment for these courses. The impact should be minimal.

CCU has several undergraduate majors that could be feeder programs for enrollment in the M.Ed. Counseling degree. Those programs, listed here with their average enrollments, include: the B.A. in Sociology (221), B.S. in Psychology (710), and five B.A.E. degrees across multiple areas of initial P-12 licensure (622). Other undergraduate programs whose students may have an interest in Counseling include Criminal Justice (150), Communication (444), Public Health (323), and Interdisciplinary Studies.

The College of Education and Social Sciences at Coastal Carolina University has sufficient faculty and equipment to initiate the program. The program will rely on the current dean for leadership and administrative staff. In the future, more faculty will be necessary and will be determined by university allocation resources. Spadoni College intends to hire at least two additional full-time, tenure-track faculty to cover the courses necessary to implement the curriculum.

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