RIC Sees Major Uptick in Counseling & School Psych Enrollment

Application rates for RIC’s graduate programs in clinical mental health counseling and school psychology are on the rise.

In February, the two graduate programs received 144 applications (86 for counseling and 58 for school psychology). In fall 2024, the counseling program enrolled 130 students while school psychology took in 45 to 50 students.

RIC professors Kalina Brabeck and Shannon Dowd-Eagle, co-chairs of the Counseling, Educational Leadership and Psychology (CEP) Department, which oversees the programs, cite various reasons for the rise in applications.

Brabeck says the pandemic and the racial reckoning after the 2020 murder of George Floyd caused people to think differently about mental health and their career paths.

“They started to think of ways to be of service to other people and contribute to social justice and community wellness,” she says. “I believe people have either been personally impacted or now see themselves as being a part of the response.”

Regarding school psychology, Dowd-Eagle agrees with Brabeck, noting the emergence of students struggling academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally during and after the pandemic.

“The demand for school psychologists has always been there, but we’re experiencing incredible shortages now,” Dowd-Eagle says. “Post COVID, we have many students who have missed instructional time and are falling behind. Because of those academic deficits, we’re seeing behaviors we haven’t otherwise seen because students are frustrated in class.”

To add to the crisis, Dowd-Eagle says many school psychologists are contemplating retirement.  

“Timing-wise, it’s perfect in terms of employment prospects,” she says. “In the profession there is a 100 percent job placement rate. Students can pick where they want to work.”

In Rhode Island, RIC has the only accredited graduate school program in psychology. The clinical mental health counseling graduate program is the only accredited one at a public institution in the state and among the few in the Northeast.

“At RIC, our programs are high quality, accessible and affordable for students,” Brabeck says.

Nichole Nelson, who just completed her first year as a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling, says the program has exceeded her expectations.

“I wanted an experience that would orient me to the profession, help me become a part of the community and plug me in where I could get started in advocacy,” she says.

“I appreciate that the professors possess a ton of clinical experience and continue to develop professionally,” she says. “There’s a diverse amount of research and modality interests represented here. I also like the fact that RIC prepares you for licensure, which is not the case with many mental health counseling programs.”

For April Potter, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education at RIC, returning to the college for a third time to obtain a graduate degree in school psychology was an easy decision.

“I knew the school psychology program had a strong reputation, and after starting my career working as a special education teacher, I quickly realized the immense need for school psychologists,” she says. “After much research, I discovered that school psychology was the perfect blend of my special education background and my desire to work in the field of psychology.”

In RIC’s graduate school psychology program, Potter praised the knowledge of the professors, the design of the coursework and the size of the classes.

“Having a small cohort of students accepted into the program each year helps to foster a sense of community and provides ample opportunity for establishing relationships with peers,” she says. “Overall, I am incredibly grateful. My professors and classmates have made this a wonderful experience so far.”

Learn more about the M.A./C.A.G.S. in school psychology and M.S. in clinical mental health counseling.