Peace Corps inspired program encourages young people to pursue mental health careers

BOSTON — Mental health needs continue to climb as the pandemic grinds on.

A chronic problem is finding the help many people need. Psychologists and counselors are in short supply.

William James College, a school in Newton which specializes in training mental professionals, recently launched a program to inspire more young people to pursue mental health careers.

The Behavioral Health Service Corps takes some of its inspiration from the Peace Corps.

“The Behavioral Health Service Corps is a program meant for recent college graduates,” explained Mark Abelard, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development at William James. “We partner with a number of behavioral health agencies thru out the state.”

Accepted students are assigned to a paid year-long service job.

They take three free master’s level courses at the same time. At the end of year, they can apply those courses towards a master’s degree if they’re accepted to that program.

“It’s a lot more than I expected, but it’s amazing and I love it,” said Whitney Enobakhare. She’s working as a care coordinator at North Suffolk Mental Health Association.

“I make sure people their needs met, so I set up primary care doctors, therapists, make sure they’re following up on their medication regiments,” explained Enobakhare.

Whitney is also earning a master’s degree in counseling at the same time.

Dr. Gemima St. Louis, Associate Vice President for Workforce Initiatives and Specialty Training believes this program is the perfect wedding of field experience and academic training.

“We provide them with opportunities to have hands on field experience to see what it is like to be a behavioral health provider, what it is like to be a psychologist, what it is like to be a mental health counselor, and we pair that of course with academic training with a focus on serving underserviced communities.”

Jennifer Reis of the North Suffolk Mental Health Association says it was hard to find enough staff before the pandemic, but that now it’s close to impossible with so many people in need of help.

“There’s a rising demand and we’re definitely among other human service agencies struggling to meet the staffing demand to provide those services.”

Last October, the American Psychological Association found 84% of their members reported an increase in demand for anxiety treatment since the start of the pandemic.

72% said they’re seeing an increase in requests to treat depression.

Reis believes getting someone like Whitney into the pipeline with real-worked experience is a great way to answer that need.

“They get the whole picture and hopefully it prepares them for a really successful career, and they stick with it.”

Enobakhare added, “It’s so important. I don’t think I would have the same opportunities if this program didn’t exist.”

Applications for this years’ service corps just opened up.

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