Summer 2025 Issue

School Social Work: Making A Big Difference
By Keith Loria
Social Work Today
Vol. 25 No. 3 P. 6

What Funding Challenges Mean for the Future of the University of Maryland, Baltimore School-Based Mental Health Fellowship Program

A fellowship that has made a huge difference for students who seek to advance their careers as licensed, school-based social workers is being phased out, to the shock and disappointment of many.

Since being granted the fellowship in 2023, the primary goals of the University of Maryland, Baltimore School-Based Mental Health Fellowship have been rooted in creating a comprehensive, research-informed pipeline that prepares and supports future school-based mental health professionals.

“By providing targeted academic, financial, and professional development support, the fellowship equips participants to transition effectively from undergraduate training through graduate education and into the workforce,” says Temeka Bailey, PhD, LCSWC, LICSW, director of SWCOS student education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Specifically for workforce development, the fellowship is designed to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals in high-need local education agencies by building a structured pipeline that begins at the BSW level and transitions into the MSW program at University of Maryland’s School of Social Work, leading to employment in K-12 schools.

“With financial support, it will strengthen the mental health workforce pipeline by providing stipends that reduce financial barriers, enabling fellows to complete their education and enter the field with less debt and greater stability,” Bailey says. “It’s also designed to recruit and support a broad range of fellows in order to build a workforce that reflects the backgrounds and experiences of the school communities being served.”

Other elements of the fellowship are to offer immersive training and practical preparation, providing intensive, real-world learning experiences through practicum placements, professional development, and mentorship, increasing fellows’ readiness and confidence to thrive in complex school settings, and making a collaborative and sustainable impact by working closely with university partners, expanded school mental health agencies, and local education agencies to ensure fellows receive wraparound support that is in alignment with local workforce needs.

Strategic Course Load
The fellowship offers a range of targeted training components designed to prepare students for the unique challenges of providing mental health services in K-12 educational settings.

For instance, one key component is Social Work in Special Education, a required course for all MSW fellows. This course fulfills the Maryland State Department of Education requirement for newly hired school social workers in public schools and provides essential knowledge related to special education systems, individualized education program processes, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

“In addition to academic coursework, fellows participate in a monthly training series designed to build applied clinical skills and professional competencies,” Bailey says. “These sessions include hands-on instruction in clinical documentation, mental health first aid, ethical practice, and intervention modalities frequently used in school-based settings, such as play therapy, sandtray therapy, and restorative practices such as restorative circles.”

These trainings are led by experienced practitioners and help students translate theory into practice in ways that are developmentally appropriate for school-aged children and responsive to the challenges of the school environment.

“This layered approach, combining graduate-level coursework, immersive practicum placements, and monthly clinical training, ensures that fellows are well-prepared to meet the mental health needs of K-12 students in a wide range of school contexts,” Bailey says.

Dashawn Herbert-Williams, LMSW, mental health therapist at Bridge to Wellness Center, Northwest High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was a recipient of the fellowship and notes it played a pivotal role in his development as a social work student, especially in preparing him to deliver effective mental health services in schools.

“The fellowship provided comprehensive academic and professional guidance, including one-on-one support in selecting coursework that emphasized trauma-informed care, racial equity, and school-based mental health practices,” Herbert-Williams says. “The program’s structure made it mandatory for us to have an internship that was school based, which gave me critical, hands-on experience working directly with youth and school systems impacted by systemic inequities.”

These placements, he adds, sharpened his skills in crisis response, classroom consultation, and culturally responsive engagement.

“In addition, mandatory fellowship meetings offered consistent training on restorative practices, clinical assessment, and community-based interventions, while also fostering a strong peer and mentorship network,” Herbert-Williams says. “These meetings deepened my understanding of how to address structural barriers to mental wellness and reinforced the importance of relational, strengths-based approaches in school settings. Through this fellowship, I’ve gained the tools, confidence, and insight to advocate for student mental health and contribute meaningfully to equitable, trauma-responsive school environments.”

Collaborative Approach
The program fosters collaboration between the social work students and the local educational agencies, who also play an important part in shaping the training curriculum.

Through strong partnerships with Coppin State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and multiple high-need school-based partnerships hosting practicum spaces, the program has helped strengthen the workforce pipeline and contributed to the development of well-prepared professionals ready to serve in school-based mental health roles.

One of the most impactful experiences Herbert-Williams had through the program was his school-based internship at a Level 5 alternative school in Gaithersburg, which shaped his perspective on school-based mental health services.

“The fellowship required a school-based placement, and without that mandate, I likely would not have had this transformative opportunity,” he says. “The school served a highly diverse student population across various age groups, many of whom were facing complex mental health, behavioral, and educational challenges. Working in this environment deepened my understanding of how trauma, social inequities, and academic struggles intersect. It opened my eyes and heart to the realities adolescents face and taught me how to support them with empathy, structure, and culturally responsive care.”

Partner organizations have shared positive feedback on the quality of new hires who are graduates of the fellowship.

“We are witnessing firsthand the profound impact your program has had on students we’ve met through our interviews and hiring processes,” says Hsin-Lun Sanft, program director for TIME Organization Inc. “These individuals are doing crucial work in our communities, and the value they bring is impactful.”

Bailey notes that feedback like this underscores the effectiveness of the fellowship’s immersive learning experiences, structured mentorship, and practicum-based training in preparing students for real-world success.

Providing Feedback
To ensure continuous program improvement and responsiveness to the needs of both fellows and school partners, the School-Based Mental Health Fellowship has employed multiple feedback mechanisms. Fellows complete surveys and contribute to discussions throughout the academic year to evaluate the effectiveness of training and their overall experience in the program. This feedback captures both quantitative and qualitative data.

“Former fellows also serve as an important source of insight,” Bailey says. “Many return to share reflections on their transition to full-time roles and emphasize how the program’s training and support uniquely prepared them for the demands of school-based practice. Their feedback helps refine training content and inform priorities for professional development.”

Together, these feedback loops play a critical role in shaping the fellowship’s structure, training topics, and collaborative practices, ensuring the program remains relevant, responsive, and effective in preparing future school-based mental health professionals.

Working with peers from diverse cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds through the program has deeply enriched Herbert-Williams’ understanding of mental health services in schools.

“It highlighted the importance of culturally responsive care and the unique challenges different communities face in accessing support,” he says. “These interactions encouraged open dialogue about bias, equity, and systemic barriers, shaping my approach to be more inclusive and empathetic. Collaborating with others broadened my awareness of how cultural identity and lived experience influence student behavior, family engagement, and treatment outcomes. This perspective has been essential in preparing me to deliver equitable and effective school-based mental health services.”

Grant Challenges
Earlier this year, grant recipients were notified that the Department of Education revised the grant’s objectives, before deciding in April that it would conclude funding at the end of this year, which is two years earlier than the end of the announced award.

“The recent notice of discontinuation of the School-Based Mental Health Fellowship, effective December 31, 2025, represents a profound loss—not just for the universities and partner agencies involved but for the future of school-based mental health in Maryland,” Bailey says. “The program’s termination … comes despite clear evidence of its success and necessity. The decision is deeply disappointing and disheartening to multiple stakeholders.”

The grant, in part, would help place 105 social workers from diverse backgrounds that reflect the communities, identities, ethnicities, abilities, and cultures of the students in Central Maryland’s high-need school districts. Tracking this aspect of the fellowship is no longer a priority, according to the department’s updated grant criteria.

“This program was designed to address a long-standing workforce shortage in school-based mental health by preparing social work fellows with the specific clinical and contextual knowledge required to thrive in K-12 educational settings,” Bailey says. “It provided immersive training, expert supervision, and financial support to help students persist through graduate education and enter high-need school districts equipped to support children and adolescents facing complex behavioral, emotional, and academic challenges. Its absence will be acutely felt.”

Partners across the state have already expressed concern about the loss of a reliable, high-quality pipeline of emerging professionals. Most importantly, K-12 students, many of whom live in underresourced communities, will lose access to clinicians who are trained to deliver culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and school-contextualized mental health care.

“The long-term impact will include a widening gap between the growing mental health needs of students and the shrinking number of professionals trained to meet them,” Bailey says. “Without sustained investment in programs like this, we risk setbacks in prevention, early intervention, and the overall well-being of Maryland’s students. This is more than a funding issue; it is a setback for the progress we’ve made in building a sustainable, specialized school mental health workforce.”

Still, the university remains committed to conducting research and implementing practices that improve conditions impacting individuals and communities, as one of six University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools and an interdisciplinary school of graduate studies dedicated to improving the human condition and serving the public good of Maryland and beyond.

“The hope is that the success and evidence generated by this initiative will serve as a blueprint for future investments and advocacy to restore and grow similar programs in the years ahead,” Bailey says.

Given the rising mental health challenges among students, Herbert-Williams feels his role as a school-based mental health therapist has been profoundly shaped by the training and experiences provided through the program, and he hopes others will get the chance to experience what he did.

“The fellowship emphasized trauma-informed care, equity, and culturally responsive practices, which are critical in understanding and addressing the unique needs of today’s youth,” he says. “My internship experiences exposed me to crisis situations, anxiety, depression, and family stressors, helping me develop essential skills in assessment, intervention, and advocacy. The program also fostered collaboration with educators and mental health professionals, preparing me to be a proactive, compassionate support within the school system. I now feel equipped to create safe, supportive environments where students can build resilience and access the mental health resources they need to thrive.”

— Keith Loria is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia.