Advancing Rural Student Mental Health Through a University-School Partnership: A Professional Development Schools Approach

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2026.v16n1p17-33

Keywords:

mental health, rural, Professional Development School, school counselor preparation

Abstract

Rural youth face significant mental health disparities due to geographic isolation, provider shortages, and stigma. Schools often serve as the primary access point for care, yet rural districts struggle to recruit qualified school counselors. This article introduces the School Counseling Professional Partnership, a university–school collaboration grounded in the evidence-based Professional Development Schools (PDS) approach. Through a school-based practicum, graduate school counseling students deliver tiered mental health supports under live supervision, enhancing school-based mental health services while gaining rural-context expertise. Outcomes demonstrate increased student access, reduced counselor to student ratios, and strengthened counselor preparation. This replicable model addresses critical gaps in rural mental health care.

Author Biographies

  • Lucy Purgason, Oregon State University - Cascades

    Lucy L. Purgason, PhD, LSC is an associate professor of Counseling at Oregon State University-Cascades. She is a licensed school counselor, working for five years in rural, Title I schools and a school specifically for newcomer immigrant and refugee students. Her research centers on culturally responsive school counseling practices, interprofessional collaboration, and the academic and mental health needs of multilingual and immigrant-origin students. Her work is deeply rooted in community engagement, with a focus on building sustainable university-school partnerships that remove rural access barriers in K-12 education.

  • Molly Moran, Oregon State University - Cascades

    Molly Moran, PhD, LPC is an assistant clinical professor and school counseling program lead at Oregon State University. Dr. Moran has worked in k-12 schools for over 20 years. Her scholarship centers on school-based interventions aimed at improving outcomes for historically marginalized students and counselor education pedagogy. Dr. Moran grounds her scholarship in a collaborative, culturally responsive, and context-driven approach that elevates community strengths and expertise.

  • Lauren Haas, Redmond School District

    Lauren Haas, M.A., NCC, is an elementary school counselor at a Title I dual language school in Redmond, Oregon. She earned her Master of Counseling from Oregon State University–Cascades and is a National Certified Counselor. Lauren’s work centers on culturally responsive practices that uplift underrepresented and newcomer students. She is passionate about creating inclusive, trauma-informed spaces where every child feels seen, supported, and capable of success.

  • Susan Horn, Oregon State University - Cascades

    Susan Horn is a graduate student in the Master of Counseling program at Oregon State University-Cascades with a focus in School Counseling. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Oregon State University. Susan currently serves as president of the OSU-Cascades chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an international counseling honor society, where she focuses on professional development, advocacy, mentorship, and counselor education within the campus and broader community.

  • Kayla Mumm, Oregon State University - Cascades

    Kayla Mumm is a graduate student in the Master of Counseling program at Oregon State University-Cascades with a focus in School Counseling. She obtained her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at the University of Tennessee in 2019. Kayla’s professional experiences include community resource work in rural Central Oregon and supporting students in Title I K-12 schools in both rural and urban contexts in Oregon and Tennessee.

  • Angie Chown, Oregon State University - Cascades

    Angie Chown, M.S, LSC has served as a school counselor since 2012. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Pacific University and an M.S. in School Counseling from Oregon State University–Cascades, where she also teaches part-time. Angie is a longtime partner to the OSU-Cascades Master of Counseling program, mentoring practicum students and interns. She was named Oregon School Counselor of the Year in 2023 and currently serves on the Oregon School Counselor Association Board of Directors.

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Published

2026-10-13

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2026): Theory and Practice in Rural Education

Section

Practice Forum

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Copyright (c) 2026 Lucy Purgason, Molly Moran, Lauren Haas, Susan Horn, Kayla Mumm, Angie Chown

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Articles will be published using a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Sharealike license. (For more information on this license, please visit the Creative Commons license page.) Please also note that the authors are explicitly granting permission for Academic Library Services to store a copy of the article in The ScholarShip, ECU's Institutional Repository under the terms of the current ScholarShip license. As a North Carolina agency, ECU contributes copies of all publications to the North Carolina State Archives.

How to Cite

Advancing Rural Student Mental Health Through a University-School Partnership: A Professional Development Schools Approach. (2026). Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2026.v16n1p17-33