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Partnership Receives $2 Million Grant from Dept of Ed

Joliet Township, Lewis University Partnership Receives $2 Million Five-Year Grant from Dept. of Education

Published: April 23, 2023.

The Joliet-Lewis Partnership for Student Mental Health (JoILE) was awarded a five-year grant for over $2 million by the U.S. Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program

The partnership between Lewis University and Joliet Township High School District 204, focused on mental health, is among the coalitions awarded more than $46 million in competitive MHSP grants to 67 states, school districts, and institutions of higher education to support and demonstrate innovative partnerships to train school-based mental health services providers for employment in schools and local educational agencies (LEAs). The goal of this program is to increase the number and diversity of high-quality, trained providers available to address the shortages of mental health services professionals in schools and high-needs LEAs.  

Lewis University will partner with three high-need schools in JTHS to train 43 graduate students as school-based mental health professionals. Graduate students enrolled in the Master of Arts in School Counseling or pursuing school social work licensure within the Master of Social Work program will be placed as school counseling or school social work interns within JTHS 204 and assigned to work with their respective JTHS school-based mental health clinicians.  

Lewis University will provide continuing education and training to the relevant workforce at JTHS in best practices to address critical issues such as trauma responsiveness and restorative practices.  

JoILE will collaborate with national and state associations as well as community organizations to provide new resources for capacity building and infrastructure development within and around the JTHS community. The partnership will collaborate with elementary and middle schools that feed into JTHS and other high-need LEAs across the region to employ trainees upon their graduation.   

Contact Dr. Lisa Brown, clinical coordinator for psychology, at brownli@lewisu.edu for more information.

Lewis University is an innovative Catholic university offering market-relevant undergraduate and graduate programs to 6,500 students. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis University is nationally recognized for preparing intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, and globally-connected graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.



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