Our Purpose
A mission that matters
Since our launch in June 2021, the Scanlan Center has become Iowa’s “go-to” school mental health partner. Now, with the increasing mental health needs of educators and students, our work is expanding to prevent future —and mitigate current —social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological needs in schools and on campuses.
Housed in the University of Iowa's College of Education, the Scanlan Center combines professional development, clinical services, cutting-edge research, and actionable resources to help schools create supportive learning environments where both students and staff can thrive.
Educational Partners
Policymakers
Mental Health Professionals
# 2
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teens and young adults, ages 10-34
[Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, 2023]
77 %
of K-12 public school teachers say their job is frequently stressful
[Pew Research Center, 2024]
3-in-10
teachers say they have to help students with mental health challenges daily
[Pew Research Center, 2024]
70 %
of university/college faculty and staff do not feel adequately prepared to engage student distress
[Lipson, 2021]
How we are making a difference
In just two years, the Scanlan Center touched all 99 counties in Iowa and 82% of Iowa’s school districts, reaching 270+ of Iowa PreK-12 school districts.
In our annual reports, we detail our priorities, outline the initiatives we pursued to realize them, and highlight the partnerships that were instrumental in driving our impact.
2021 - 2022 Annual Report
The work our team did in one year alone was remarkable. More than $1 million in research funding was distributed across the state, 600+ K-12 students and educators accessed clinical services, 3,000+ K-12 educators participated in professional development opportunities, and we started our higher education programming. Most importantly, we came together to start building a school mental health center unlike any other.
2022 - 2023 Annual Report
Year 2 marked a period of impressive growth. We proudly trained 50+ doctoral students with expertise in school mental health. Our clinical services expanded to include group counseling while our professional development arm launched new online modules and a paraeducator fellowship program. Additionally, 4,500+ campus faculty and staff from across the state engaged in training. Most notably, we met our ambitious goal of impacting all 99 counties in Iowa.
Emotional / Behavioral Disorders
Family Therapy
Suicide Prevention
Trauma-Informed Care
Mental Health
Abuse
School Counseling
Social Emotional Learning
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Culturally-Responsive Practices