Current Projects
Carolina Network for School Behavioral Health
The Carolina Network for School Behavioral Health (CNSBH), established in 2010, connects K-12 educators, higher education faculty, mental health professionals, and other partners across North and South Carolina. The network supports cross-state collaboration in practice, research, grant development, policy, and dissemination of evidence-based school behavioral health approaches.
Through partnerships with schools, community agencies, families, and youth-serving systems, CNSBH works to strengthen prevention, early intervention, and mental health supports and improve student well-being and school success.
Enhancing Capacity in School Mental Health
Enhancing Capacity in School Mental Health recruits undergraduate students for school mental health internships in North and South Carolina and supports graduate students in mental-health-related programs as they prepare for school-based roles. Through hands-on training and partnerships with schools and districts, the program helps build and retain a stronger school mental health workforce.
John H. Magill School Mental Health Graduate Certificate Program
“The Magill” is a joint initiative between the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Mental Health (OMH; formerly the South Carolina Department of Mental Health) and the School Behavioral Health Team to build a well-qualified workforce to support the expansion of school behavioral health services in South Carolina. Graduate students in counseling, social work, psychology, and related fields complete a 600-hour school-based internship through OMH and 30 hours of professional development in school behavioral health through the SBHT.
NAMI Ending the Silence and Mental Fitness & M.E. Evaluation
NAMI South Carolina facilitates mental health education programs for students and adults. This project evaluates the impact and outcomes of Ending the Silence (ETS) and Mental Fitness & M.E. (Mental Exercise; MFME), two programs that provide free mental health education in schools and communities to reduce stigma and promote mental health awareness.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Technical Assistance Center
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is designed to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of schools and other agencies while strengthening social, emotional, and academic outcomes. The Technical Assistance Center supports large-scale PBIS implementation through organizational models, demonstrations, and evaluation tools. SBHT team members support schools and districts in the Mid-Atlantic and Pacific regions of the United States.
SC School Behavioral Health Academy
The John H. Magill SC School Behavioral Health Academy (SBHA) is a community of learning that helps schools build positive campus cultures and strengthen mental health services for students. The SBHA provides training and coaching on safe schools, crisis response, science-based counseling approaches, and whole-school prevention of mental health and behavioral problems.
Launched in 2022 with more than $8 million in grant funding from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the academy supports statewide efforts to expand school mental health capacity.
Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community
The Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community (SSBHC) brings together families, youth, educators, behavioral health professionals, researchers, advocates, government leaders, and other youth-serving partners to advance school behavioral health across the Southeast. Its work focuses on integrating mental health with multi-tiered systems of support, including PBIS, and strengthening collaboration, evidence-based practice, implementation support, and cultural humility.
The community has hosted the annual Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference since 2014 and has used conferences and research forums to engage stakeholders in improving policy, practice, and research.
Staying the Course: Building ECHO Networks for Effective School Behavioral Health
Staying the Course uses the Project ECHO model to strengthen collaboration among state education agencies, local education agencies, and school-based teams. Monthly virtual sessions support shared learning, problem-solving, and professional development around school behavioral health within MTSS, with a focus on sustainable implementation and educational equity.
Past Projects
- Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina (BASC)
- Carolina CARES: Strong Students, Safe Schools
- Early Supports for Student Success
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Partnering for Student Wellness
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Grant
- Pee Dee Resiliency Project (PDRP)