S03E14 – Mental Health Access in Rural Communities in Tennessee. An interview with April Ebbinger, the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education

In this episode, we interview Dr. April Ebbinger, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist who is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education. In this episode, we discussed recruitment and retention of mental health providers in rural Tennessee. One of the challenges smaller and remote school districts experience is that many healthcare providers are not attracted to these regions. To address these challenges, Dr Ebbinger is the principal investigator on a federal grant called Project RAISE. Many students have mental health challenges by age 14, and given several new challenges, such as COVID-19, students have new challenges. Her research and advocacy is to address these concerns to provide resources and networking through the grant. As professionals sign on, they are expected to stay and provide support and services within mental health. 44% of schools had no school psychologist. In other words, many students did not have access to student mental health services. The grant was designed to help address these gaps. Further, we discussed how contract agencies impact these services, including the funding approaches and how those resources are used. Dr. Ebbinger would like to see more mental health providers stay in these communities. We discussed how these resources can positively impact student learning and communities. Dr. April Ebbinger, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Services for the Tennessee Department of Education. Additionally, she is the primary investigator on the federal grant Project RAISE to provide mental health support in rural school districts. Dr. Ebbinger has experience as a classroom teacher, school psychologist, district administrator, and higher education faculty. She has authored multiple journal articles and presented them at state and national conferences. Dr. Ebbinger serves on the Board of the Tennessee Association of School Psychologists Dyslexia Advisory Council and was the 2020 Tennessee School Psychologist of the Year.