Students head to class at a Department of Defense Education Activity school in Germany. The Army is reducing staffing for the Adolescent Support and Counseling Services this school year and will eliminate the program entirely by next school year. The decision comes on the heels of a federal watchdog agency's findings that DODEA schools are overwhelmed by a surge in student mental health concerns. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — The Army will save almost $5 million annually by cutting a program that for decades has provided mental health services to children of U.S. military and civilian families based overseas, where such support is already limited.

The decision to eliminate the Adolescent Support and Counseling Services after the 2025-26 school year follows a federal watchdog agency report’s findings that Department of Defense Education Activity schools are overwhelmed by a surge in student mental health concerns, especially suicidal behavior.

The decision was made to eliminate the $4.9 million program because “similar services exist,” Army officials at the Pentagon said in a statement following questions by Stars and Stripes.

The statement named military and family life counselors and school-based behavioral health counselors as two examples.

The contract for the ASACS program expired at the end of June, but the Army opted to continue it with reduced staffing for one more school year to allow time for coordination of alternate services, Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokeswoman, said Thursday.

ASACS is one of three Pentagon-sponsored programs that supplement DODEA mental health services in some schools. Program counselors treat conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, trauma and stress and attention deficit/anxiety disorder, according to the Government Accountability Office report.

All ASACS counselors are employed overseas except for one stateside program manager, the Army said in a statement this week. ASACS will continue with 14 counselors this school year, down from 23 as of March, according to the Army.

ASACS staff provided counseling services to 1,079 students during the 2024-25 school year, the Army said.

DODEA “will continue to collaborate with military and community partners to provide coordinated services that meet the evolving needs of our students and families,” agency spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said in response to questions about the shuttering of the ASACS program.

The Army in its decision also cited DODEA’s plans to add 21 school psychologists during the upcoming school year.

DODEA said last month that the number could vary based on enrollment and current staffing levels.

But the additional hires still leave DODEA far short of the target ratio of 1 school psychologist for every 500 students set by the National Association of School Psychologists, according to the GAO report.

In the spring, DODEA’s ratio was 1:832, according to the GAO. The new hires would reduce that to 1:753, getting it 16% closer to the suggested standard.

DODEA school psychologists are “focused on enhancing access to education,” Tackaberry said.

“Their scope is intentionally limited to school-based, short-term support aligned with educational outcomes,” she said.

Their responsibilities include behavioral consultation, academic interventions, crisis response and special education assessments.

Leaders with the nonprofit National Military Family Advocacy Organization, which works to protect the rights of military families, said mental health support is especially vital for military families overseas, where access to resources is often very limited.

In many overseas military communities, military behavioral health clinics are short-staffed and even routine medical checkups can be difficult to get off base because of high demand.

“We are acutely aware of the obstacles and service gaps that significantly affect our military children,” said retired Air Force Col. Penny Bailey, the group’s president. “Many victims have expressed urgent concerns about the lack of mental health counseling available to military children during times of abuse, separation, divorce, and loss.”

Bailey said DODEA’s plan to add school psychologists is encouraging. But if they don’t provide the same services as ASACS, “it could have a significantly negative impact on the military children,” she said.

DODEA policy states that if students need intensive therapy, they should be referred to a clinical mental health provider, according to the GAO report, which found that 1 in 50 students at DODEA schools was assessed for suicide risk in each of the past two school years.

DODEA school psychologists and counselors told GAO evaluators of workload constraints and staffing shortages, which they said prevented them from attending to all but the most urgent student needs.

The roughly 200 military and family life counselors assigned to DODEA schools provide nonclinical counseling support, according to the GAO.

The Defense Health Agency also offers clinical mental health services in some DODEA schools. In the spring, 25 behavioral health providers were assisting DODEA schools, the GAO report said.

Army officials at the Pentagon provided a list of other mental health resources DODEA students can use.

Among them is Military OneSource, which provides free individual counseling for children ages 13-17 and family counseling sessions for children 6-12 with a parent present. Phone, video, online and in-person options are available.

Also, most U.S. private health insurance companies provide confidential, remote counseling services to beneficiaries overseas, the Army said.