RCW 28B.50.930
Mental health counselor pilot program. (Expires January 1, 2026.)
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the college board shall administer a pilot program to increase student access to mental health counseling and services.
(2) The college board, in collaboration with the selection committee, shall select community or technical colleges to participate in the pilot program. At least half of the participating colleges must be located outside of the Puget Sound area. For purposes of this section, "Puget Sound area" means Snohomish, King, Pierce, and Thurston counties. Each participating college must receive a grant to implement one or more strategies to increase student access to mental health counseling and services, including substance use disorder counseling and services.
(3)(a) A selection committee consisting of the following shall assist with the application selection process:
(i) One community or technical college president;
(ii) One community or technical college vice president for student services or student instruction;
(iii) Two faculty counselors employed at a community or technical college; and
(iv) One community or technical college student.
(b) The selection committee may consult with representatives of an entity within a college or university that has expertise in suicide prevention and the department of health in developing selection criteria.
(4) Community and technical colleges wishing to participate in the pilot program shall apply to the college board. Applicants must identify opportunities for expanding on-campus mental health counseling and services. Applicants must also show a commitment to further develop partnerships by engaging external community providers, including those who provide crisis services and substance use disorder treatment and counseling. Applications that demonstrate plans to include one or more of the following strategies recommended by the community and technical college counselors task force must be prioritized:
(a) Improve equity, diversity, and inclusion of all races in counseling services, such as by diversifying the counselor workforce by adopting equity-centered recruiting, training, and retention practices or by providing equity training and awareness for all counselors;
(b) Meet mental health needs of students through an all-campus effort;
(c) Engage students to help increase mental health and counseling awareness and promote help-seeking behavior through student groups and other methods;
(d) Increase the visibility of counseling services on campus;
(e) Increase or expand external partnerships with community service providers;
(f) Adopt the use of telebehavioral health, especially in underresourced communities;
(g) Develop an assessment of counseling services to inform improvements and ensure counseling services are meeting student needs; or
(h) Implement counseling approaches grounded in theory that have evidence of being effective.
(5) Colleges selected to participate in the pilot program that use grant funding to hire additional mental health counselors must hire counselors who have specific graduate-level training for meeting the mental and behavioral health needs of students.
(6) Colleges selected to participate in the pilot program shall submit a joint report to the appropriate committees of the legislature and in accordance with RCW 43.01.036 by November 1, 2023. The report must include:
(a) Information on which colleges were selected for the pilot program, how much grant funding was received per college, and what strategies each implemented to increase student access to mental health counseling and services;
(b) Demographic data of students accessing mental health counseling and services, including those students who are considered underrepresented or traditionally have limited access to mental health counseling and services;
(c) Whether the mental health counseling and services provided are meeting the demand of students in terms of type and availability, and whether the various types of mental health counseling and services are being provided by community providers versus on-campus services;
(d) Information and data on the effectiveness, including cost-effectiveness, of each strategy used to increase student access to mental health counseling and services, including substance use disorder counseling and services, such as the number of additional students served, reduced wait times for counseling appointments, or other data that reflects expanded access; and
(e) Lessons learned and recommendations for improving student access to mental health counseling and services at community and technical colleges and to community providers, including whether there were any strategies implemented that proved more effective than others in increasing access.
(7) Colleges selected for the pilot program shall conspicuously post on their websites and include in the report to the legislature the definitions for key terms including: Diversity, equity, inclusion, culturally competent, culturally appropriate, historically marginalized communities, communities of color, low-income communities, and community organizations.
(8) The pilot program expires July 1, 2025.
(9) This section expires January 1, 2026.
[ 2021 c 272 § 6.]
NOTES:
Intent—Findings—Short title—2021 c 272: See notes following RCW 28B.50.920.
Structure Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 28B.50 - Community and Technical Colleges.
28B.50.040 - College districts enumerated.
28B.50.050 - State board for community and technical colleges.
28B.50.070 - College board—Organization—Meetings—Quorum—Biennial report—Fiscal year.
28B.50.080 - College board—Offices and office equipment, including necessary expenses.
28B.50.085 - College board—Treasurer—Appointment, duties, bond—Depository.
28B.50.090 - College board—Powers and duties.
28B.50.091 - Board to waive fees for students finishing their high school education.
28B.50.092 - Program for military personnel—Restrictions as to high school completion program.
28B.50.093 - Program for military personnel—Limitation.
28B.50.094 - Program for military personnel—Costs of funding.
28B.50.095 - Registration at more than one community and technical college.
28B.50.096 - Cooperation with workforce training and education coordinating board.
28B.50.097 - Electronic job bank.
28B.50.098 - Appointment of trustees for new college district.
28B.50.100 - Boards of trustees—Generally.
28B.50.102 - Boards of trustees—Student trustee.
28B.50.130 - Boards of trustees—Bylaws, rules, and regulations—Chair and vice chair—Terms—Quorum.
28B.50.140 - Boards of trustees—Powers and duties.
28B.50.141 - Credits—Statewide transfer policy and agreement—Establishment.
28B.50.142 - Treasurer of board—Duties—Bond.
28B.50.143 - Vendor payments, advances or reimbursements for.
28B.50.145 - Community or technical college faculty senate.
28B.50.150 - Out-of-district residence not to affect enrollment for state resident.
28B.50.195 - Intercollegiate coaches—Minimum standards encouraged.
28B.50.196 - Intercollegiate coaches—Training to promote coaching competence and techniques.
28B.50.205 - AIDS information—Community and technical colleges.
28B.50.215 - Overlapping service areas—Regional planning agreements.
28B.50.242 - Video telecommunications programming.
28B.50.248 - Effect of child care subsidy eligibility expansion—Use of existing resources.
28B.50.259 - Program for dislocated forest products workers—Waiver from tuition and fees.
28B.50.271 - Opportunity grant program.
28B.50.274 - Opportunity partnership program.
28B.50.282 - Evergreen jobs training account—Grants.
28B.50.286 - Opportunity express account.
28B.50.295 - Emergency assistance grant program.
28B.50.305 - Seattle Vocational Institute—Findings.
28B.50.306 - Seattle Vocational Institute—Mission—Advisory committee to advise.
28B.50.307 - Seattle Vocational Institute—Funding.
28B.50.320 - Fees and other income—Deposit—Disbursement.
28B.50.409 - Bonds—Committee advice and consent prerequisite to issuance.
28B.50.463 - Use of false academic credentials—Penalties.
28B.50.465 - Cost-of-living increases—Academic employees.
28B.50.468 - Cost-of-living increases—Classified employees.
28B.50.484 - Health care service contracts—Transferred employees of vocational-technical institutes.
28B.50.489 - Part-time academic employees—State-mandated benefits—Definitions.
28B.50.4891 - Part-time academic employees—State-mandated benefits—Reporting eligible employees.
28B.50.4893 - Part-time academic employees—Sick leave.
28B.50.510 - State purchasing and material control, community college purchases.
28B.50.520 - Federal funds, receipt of authorized.
28B.50.522 - Office for adult literacy.
28B.50.528 - Contracts with adjacent college district for administrative services.
28B.50.532 - Completion of industry certificate or credential—Agreements with skill centers.
28B.50.535 - Community or technical college—Issuance of high school diploma or certificate.
28B.50.551 - Leave provisions.
28B.50.553 - Attendance incentive program.
28B.50.789 - Online course descriptions—Required materials' cost information—Reports.
28B.50.795 - Bachelor of science in nursing program—University Center of North Puget Sound.
28B.50.810 - Applied baccalaureate degree programs.
28B.50.815 - Associate degree education for incarcerated adults.
28B.50.825 - Bachelor of science degree in computer science.
28B.50.835 - Exceptional faculty awards—Intent.
28B.50.8351 - Exceptional faculty awards—"Foundation" defined.
28B.50.839 - Exceptional faculty awards—Guidelines—Matching funds—Donations—Disbursements.
28B.50.843 - Exceptional faculty awards—Determination of award—Collective bargaining.
28B.50.850 - Faculty tenure—Purpose.
28B.50.851 - Faculty tenure—Definitions.
28B.50.855 - Faculty tenure—Written agreement embodying terms of employment furnished faculty.
28B.50.859 - Faculty tenure—Tenure retained upon reduced work load assignment.
28B.50.860 - Faculty tenure—Tenure retained upon administrative appointment.
28B.50.861 - Faculty tenure—Dismissal only for sufficient cause.
28B.50.862 - Faculty tenure—Certain grounds constituting sufficient cause.
28B.50.863 - Faculty tenure—Review prior to dismissal—Scope—Recommendations of review committee.
28B.50.864 - Faculty tenure—Appeal from decision for dismissal—Procedure.
28B.50.868 - Faculty tenure—Faculty members currently employed granted tenure.
28B.50.871 - Faculty tenure—Number of tenure-track positions—Report.
28B.50.872 - Periodic posttenure evaluation.
28B.50.8742 - Technical colleges—Employee option to reenroll in public employees' benefits trust.
28B.50.8744 - Technical colleges—Payment to public employees' and retirees' insurance account.
28B.50.877 - Technical colleges—Purchase of support services from school districts.
28B.50.880 - Apprentices—Recommendations of the state board for community and technical colleges.
28B.50.890 - Apprentices—Associate degree pathway.
28B.50.891 - Apprenticeship programs or certificate programs—Transferable course credits.
28B.50.895 - Apprentice education waivers.
28B.50.902 - Centers of excellence.
28B.50.916 - Homeless and foster care students pilot program.
28B.50.925 - Guided pathways—Implementation—Reports.
28B.50.930 - Mental health counselor pilot program.
28B.50.935 - Faculty counselors—Minimum standards.
28B.50.940 - Student aid outreach and completion initiative pilot program—Outreach specialists.
28B.50.980 - Construction—Chapter applicable to state registered domestic partnerships—2009 c 521.