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When Angelica Faune ‘26 was an elementary school student, she never saw the kinds of behaviors she sees now as a school psychologist in training: kids walking out of class because they’re bored; threats or jokes of extreme violence; anxiety or depression that leads to chronic absenteeism.

But she has seen all these things in today’s elementary school classroom. Through an intensive, three-year school psychology program she just completed at Cal State Long Beach, she now feels prepared to manage these situations.

“I learned a lot of counseling strategies, just seeing (my supervisors’) approach to working with students and families, and handling those high-stakes scenarios,” said Faune, who graduated from The Beach in May with an advanced, education specialist (Ed.S.) degree and a California Pupil Personnel Services credential.

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Faune is part of the first cohort to graduate from InSPIR, or Increasing School Psychologists to Implement Robust Mental Health Services. The project — created in 2023 through a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education — aims to address the growing need for mental health services for K-12 children.

The money is funding the training and tuition of 30 school psychology graduate students at ɫ��ɫ over a five-year period, with the goal of placing them in five local school districts serving as partners in the project.

According to Kerri Knight-Teague, an assistant professor of school psychology in the College of Education and one of the leads on the InSPIR project, the need for counselors and school psychologists to address mental health concerns among K-12 youth was recognized even before the pandemic, yet increased significantly during and after it.

“Throughout the trainings, students had opportunities to do a deeper dive: initial assessment, screening of students in the schools, doing more individualized comprehensive assessments,” Knight-Teague said. “We also trained them to provide intervention services along a continuum of support.”

Making a difference

So far, three cohorts of 10 ɫ��ɫ students have received specialized training in the assessment of mental health issues, and intervention where necessary. The first cohort, which started in 2023, had its “Hooding Ceremony” and accepted their degrees at The Pointe Conference Center on May 23.

“We’re also serving communities who may not have access beyond school to mental health support,” Knight-Teague said. “One of the exciting things about the work we’re doing is ... our data suggests that the (ɫ��ɫ students) were highly effective. They did the work with fidelity and integrity. The data suggests they’ve made a positive impact.”

They did the work with fidelity and integrity. The data suggests they’ve made a positive impact.

The InSPIR project has been an immersive learning experience for the ɫ��ɫ grad students, one that has taken them outside the Beach classroom and into area schools, where they’ve learned to help kids with various mental health issues and make a genuine difference in those communities.

There has also been an effort to diversify the field of school psychology to match the communities being served. Bilingual school psychologists — especially those who can speak Spanish — are particularly needed in California and the Southwest U.S.

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Yoli Montes ‘26 is one of the InSPIR graduates who speaks fluent Spanish and English. During her practicum and internship, she served in the Lennox School District, near Inglewood and Hawthorne.

“I got a lot of hands-on practice with academic counseling and mental health counseling,” Montes said. “I’ve been able to build a relationship with students and teachers as well. The program did a really good job giving us a theory-based approach. The practicum and internship solidified what it looks like in the real world.”

The InSPIR cohorts have also participated in seminars and observation at ɫ��ɫ’s Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center and the Community Clinic for Counseling and Educational Services, which provide low- or no-cost mental health services to the area community.

Hayley McDonnell ’26 completed three years of InSPIR, including an internship as a school psychology intern in the Lawndale Elementary School District.

“I definitely feel more prepared to provide mental health interventions than if I hadn’t been part of the grant,” she said. “I feel like I’m better prepared to do the work I’m passionate about.”