With telemental health a rapidly expanding way of delivering services, a Delta State University staff member is now certified to help meet the demand.
DSU Director of Counseling and Testing Kashanta M. Jackson recently received the Board Certified-TeleMental Health (BC-TMH) Provider credential.
This credential identifies professionals who have met the nationally established telemental health criteria and who have been uniquely trained in best practices for delivering traditional behavioral healthcare through technological means.
A native of Rosedale, Miss., Jackson previously served in DSU’s Counseling Department and the College of Education from 1999 to 2009. Prior to her return to DSU in March 2020, she served as district dean of counseling and advisement at Hinds Community College.
“We’re happy to have Kashanta back at DSU. This time, as the lead of our Counseling Center,” said DSU Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Vernell Bennett-Fairs. “Her level of expertise allows us to better serve our students, especially during the pandemic. She has been extremely impactful since her return six months ago.”
Jackson said the BC-TMH credential is essential during the new normal of “virtual”, including remote counseling.
“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it became imperative that the Counseling Center remains a vital resource in providing mental health care. Thus, I immediately enrolled in a telemental health training course to complete the necessary requirements for the telemental health credential,” she shared.
Jackson said the new credential will bring long-term benefits to the DSU Counseling Center.
“The BC-TMH credential affords me the opportunity to provide counseling services remotely during the current COVID-19 pandemic and post-COVID-19,” she said. “It adds another layer of training and support in the area of mental health care for the university community.”
In addition to her recent credential as a BC-TMH provider, Johnson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), both in the State of Mississippi.
She also is a National Certified Counselor and holds the Approved Clinical Supervisor credential.
