Andrea Bjornestad

Title

Associate Professor/Extension Specialist-Mental Health

Office Building

Thompson Center

Office

104

Mailing Address

Thompson Center 104
School of Educ, Counseling & Human Dev-Box 2214
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007

Education

• Ph.D. | University of South Dakota
• M.A. | University of South Dakota
• B.S. | South Dakota State University

Academic Interests

• Group counseling
• Service learning
• Marriage and family therapy

Extension Responsibilities

• Mental Health Specialist

Awards and Honors

• Excellence in Outreach and Engagement, South Dakota State University, 2023
• E. Gordon Poling Administrator Award, South Dakota Counseling Association, 2019
• Outstanding Extension Faculty, College of EHS, 2019
• College of Education & Human Sciences Outstanding Researcher, 2018
• Outstanding Early Career Faculty for Research, College of EHS, 2017
• Outstanding Professional Teaching Award, North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, 2016
• SDSU Sewrey Colloquium Speaker in Research/Scholarship, 2015
• Post-Secondary School Counselor of the Year, Minnesota School Counselors Association, 2014
• Post-Secondary School Counselor of the Year, Southeast Minnesota School Counselors Association, 2014
• Student Practitioner Award, International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, 2009

Grants

• Effect of SD FIT for Improve Diet, Exercise and Mental Health in Volunteer Firefighters. South Dakota State University SPARC Grant, 2023-present, $14,965.
• Identifying Individual and Contextual Determinants Underpinning Farmers’ Help-Seeking Behaviors and Their Role in Shaping Mental Health Outcomes. UMASH/CDC/NIOSH, 2022-present, $850,500.
• North Central Farm and Ranch Assistance Center: Engaging Programs to Support Producer Wellbeing. USDA/NIFA, 2020-present, $7,187,000.
• Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Farm Families in South Dakota. USDA/South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2021-2023, $500,000.
• Farm Stress Employee Training and Technical Assistance Team. Skidmore USDA/NIFA, 2021, $19,262.
• Farm Stress Employee Training and Technical Assistance Team. Skidmore USDA/NIFA, 2020, $3,000.
• Farm Stress Employee Training and Technical Assistance Team. Skidmore USDA/NIFA, 2019, $25,000.
• Tatanka Ki Owetu “The Renewal”. Schoch USDA/NIFA, 2018-2020, $720,000.
• Innovative Models of Mental Health Care for Farmers and Farm Families. Center For Rural Development, 2018-2019, $24,683.
• Improving Officer-Soldier Relationships Through Active Listening Skills Training. Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Science, 2017-2020, $241,644.
• Rural Mental Health: Understanding Stress and Depression in Farmers and Ranchers. Center for Rural Development, 2017-2018, $24,973.
• The Impact of Physical Activity on Stress and Depression in Farmers. SDSU Research/Scholarship Support Fund, 2017-2018, $1,950.
• Called to Serve: A Military Women's Leadership Conference. SDSU Women & Giving, 2015-2016, $2,000.
• Developing a Wellness Inventory for Military Service Member and Veterans. Excellence Fund, 2015-2016, $3,000.
• The Relationship Between Symptoms of Depression and Social Support in Farmers. SDSU Research/Scholarship, 2015-2016, $1,800.
• Called to Serve: A Women’s Wellness Series. SDSU Women & Giving, 2014-2015, $1,500.
• Institute for Educational Innovation, Bush Grant, Winona State University, 2013-2014, $15,000.
• Service-Learning in Professional School Counseling: Conducting a Needs Assessment. Learning and Community Engagement (LaCE) Curriculum Grant, 2013-2014, $500.

Areas of Research

• Supporting military veterans and dependents
• Impact of PTSD on military veterans and dependents
• Secondary trauma in military spouses
• Farm/ranch family wellness
• Rural mental health