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New Hampshire is facing a shortage of school-based mental health professionals, and UNH is helping to bridge that gap through a new interdisciplinary certificate program designed to strengthen mental health support in schools and communities. 听

The online 听in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) will launch in spring 2026. The new program builds on the university鈥檚 鈥� a long-running initiative that introduced trauma-informed approaches to educators, administrators, and community practitioners across the state.听

While the TIPP certificate continues, the new program enhances mental health professional representation within that interdisciplinary model and creates a pathway tailored specifically for social workers who want to specialize in school settings 鈥� an area identified as a high-need field in New Hampshire, says Katie Godshall, assistant clinical professor of social work and program coordinator.听

鈥淪chools are a pretty common intercept point for mental health and health purposes,鈥� Godshall says. 鈥淪chools are being asked to do a lot more for their students with a lot less training. Teachers and administrators are often not trained in mental health. This program creates access for social workers to be advocates not just for students, but also for the staff and the schools themselves.鈥� 听

The certificate is open to current UNH students as well as licensed professionals seeking additional specialization, including early-career social workers, veteran educators, and administrators. Participants complete four graduate-level courses and design an applied capstone project that addresses real community needs. 听听

Before the certificate鈥檚 formal launch, students interested in school social work completed a concentration within the TIPP program, which served as a bridge toward the stand-alone credential. To date, roughly 60-80 students have completed trauma-informed training through UNH鈥檚 related programs, most of whom live and work in New Hampshire.听

Godshall says one thing she noticed while working with students in the TIPP program was the value of interdisciplinary perspectives, which will continue to add value to the new program. 听听

鈥淲e wanted to build on the interdisciplinary foundation of our TIPP program, so we weren鈥檛 having a one-sided conversation about what mental health should look like in schools. Teachers, administrators, and social workers all come at it from different perspectives,鈥� Godshall says. 鈥淚f we want school systems to improve childhood mental health and well-being, we have to include the people who are in those systems.鈥� 听

UNH has worked with multiple personnel within the Manchester School District, and Godshall hopes the new certificate will help them expand their impact throughout the state, including the North Country, where resources are often more limited. 听

Accessibility is a significant component of the program, and Godshall notes that the online format provides students with the flexibility to balance coursework with their personal and professional lives. 听

鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a certificate program, we don鈥檛 want it to feel overwhelming; we want it to be immersive and experiential, but also respectful of students鈥� time,鈥� Godshall says. 鈥淢any of our full-time students are also full-time professionals or parents. I tell them from the start, we don鈥檛 live in a vacuum 鈥� if you need to turn off your camera for a few minutes to make dinner or get your kids settled, that鈥檚 fine. Being trauma-informed and trauma-responsive means making education accessible and realistic for people鈥檚 lives.鈥� 听

Godshall hopes the certificate will become a sustainable and efficient means of meeting the state鈥檚 needs. 听

鈥淪tressed brains don鈥檛 learn, and stressed bodies can鈥檛 sit still,鈥� Godshall says. 鈥淭he students who need the most support often can鈥檛 get it because there鈥檚 more punitive action being taken instead of trauma-informed action. Hopefully, we can address this challenge.鈥� 听

Godshall believes certificate programs with focused areas of specialization are an effective way to help the state address workforce needs while making UNH stand out. She hopes lessons learned from the school social work certificate will pave the way for growth.听

鈥淚 would love to create a first-responder specific mental health certificate,鈥� Godshall says. 鈥淧art of my five-year plan in general is really boosting not only the social work department, but building CHHS's听role in first-responder public safety personnel wellness.鈥� 听

Godshall specializes in crisis and trauma work with first responders. She has collaborated with the UNH police and fire departments, Dover and Seabrook police departments, and serves on the Seacoast Peer Support Team, where clinicians and trained peers conduct critical-incident debriefings after traumatic calls. 听

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a real culture shift. Administrators and ranking officers are saying, 鈥榃e need this, we鈥檙e losing people at a high rate, and we don鈥檛 need to do this.鈥� At the same time, recruits are coming in asking, 鈥榃hat do you do for my wellness? How can I make this a sustainable career?鈥欌�� Godshall says. 鈥淎s more clinicians develop cultural competency for working with first responders, I think the floodgates will open for access, normalization, and real systemic change.鈥澨�

Visit the 听to learn more about the trauma-informed school social work graduate certificate at UNH.听