About Us
Our Story
The School Mental Health Collaborative: Research, Training, and Technical Assistance Center (SMHC Center) is an extension of the School Mental Health Collaborative (SMHC) established in 2019 by a group of researchers at the University of South Florida and University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University of California Santa Barbara joined as a third site in 2023. The goal of the SMHC is to partner with like-minded researchers across the US who share the mission and vision of improving access to evidence-based, school mental health services. SMHC scholars conduct research and generate tools, resources, and guidance that help educators and parents promote the mental health of children and adolescents.
In December of 2022, The Florida Board of Governors designated the School Mental Health Collaborative at USF as a Research, Training, and Technical Assistance Center (SMHC Center). The Center currently is supported by 13 full-time staff (3 Co-Executive Directors, Center Director, 2 Research Assistant Professors, 2 Post Doc Fellows, a Learning Design Specialist, a Learning and Development Facilitator, a Quality Assurance Manager/Data Analyst, a Media Specialist, a Business Manager, and 17 graduate student research assistants) with over 21 million in total funding. Current funding sources include US Department of Education (US DOE), Institute of Education Science (IES), National Institute of Justice, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Agency (SAMHSA), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Florida Department of Education (FDOE), and Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
In 2023, the School Mental Health Collaborative at USF was one of four educational institutions (University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, University California Santa Barbara) to be awarded the Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center (MHP TA Center) by the U.S. Department of Education – Mental Health Evaluation, Training, Research and Innovation Center for Schools (METRICS). The purpose of the MHP TA Center is to provide technical assistance to the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration (MHSP) and the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) grant programs and to disseminate resources and information to support State educational and local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education in the preparation and retention of school-based mental health services providers.
2019
SMHC Established School Mental Health Collaborative established by school psychology faculty from the University Wisconsin-Madison and the University of South Florida.
2022
Center Status for SMHC Florida Board of Governors designate SMHC as a Research Center in the University of South Florida.
2023
METRICS SMHC with three other universities award a Mental Health Personnel Technical Assistance Center by the US Department of Education.
The SMHC has experienced tremendous growth in just over a year. Since launching in December of 2022 the SMHC has secured over fifteen million dollars in federal and state funded projects, contributing to a lifetime funding of over twenty-five million dollars.
