School Counseling Integrated Program (SCIP): Preparing School Counselors in Training to Collaborate with School Nurses and ESOL Teachers in Rural Alabama Schools

The School Counseling Integrated Program (SCIP) was funded by United States Department of Education under theMental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program. The aim of SCIP was to increase mental health services in rural Alabama schools by training school counseling students to collaborate with school counselors, school nurses, and ESOL teachers. SCIP demonstrates interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The purpose of this research study was to discuss the empirical findings from a program evaluation after year one. The current study focused on eight SCIP Fellows’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions in implementation of an integrated collaboration between these professional roles to address student mental health concerns while practicing within their ethical boundaries and scope of practice. Findings from the program evaluation revealed a statistically significant enhancement in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions concerning interdisciplinary collaboration with school counselors, school nurses, and ESOL educators.