With the investment of $3.5 million into the Rapid City Area Schools mental health services, some say it’s a meaningful step in the right direction. Others, though, say there’s still a massive gap in local mental health care.
While the financial investment will improve things within the school district, the Rapid City area is still in desperate need of more services.
Former president of the South Dakota Counselors Association Duane Kavanaugh said the grant won’t fix a fundamental issue in the community – Rapid City is still short mental health professionals.
“At any given time we’re probably about 30 counselors short for mental health in Rapid City," Kavanaugh said. "Just agencies not being able to hire or find people to fill positions, that’s the need we’re looking at. So, if you figure a counselor carries 30-40 clients at any given time, the math is pretty clear. Thousands of people can’t get in to see a mental health counselor.”
Kavanaugh heads counseling services at the School of Mines in Rapid City.
“How do you build the base of counselors and mental health providers? That takes time," Kavanaugh said. "To get through a graduate program, you’re talking 3 or 4 years depending on the area of specialty you’re going into. For a counselor now, it’s a 60-hour master’s program. It’s about twice what a normal master’s program would be.”
During the appropriations process of the 2022 legislative session, a scholarship fund for master’s-level counseling was cut. Kavanaugh said it’s something he’d advocate for.
“One of the things we looked at with that bill was making it a requirement of that scholarship that you had to work in South Dakota for three years post-masters," Kavanaugh said. "Particularly in a community mental health center rather than a private practice where they’re doing more of the community work so that we build that base."
While Kavanaugh said there was interest among lawmakers on that bill, it is unclear if the topic is a priority in the upcoming legislative session.
It's a problem without an immediate solution. Instead, it will take years to address the challenge via education and promotion.
Kavanaugh said prospective providers can enter a rewarding field.
“You know, it is a tough field. As a general rule professionally it’s not the highest paid, but there’s a lot of rewards from the work," Kavanaugh said. "I mean, you see people get better. I tell the therapists I train that you really can’t train a counselor. You take some raw talent, and then you help them develop it.”
He adds another important trait for prospective therapists – a genuine care for the wellbeing of your clients.