Framingham State gets boost from state to train more mental health counselors
FRAMINGHAM — Framingham State University said it has received a $1.39 million state grant that officials say will allow the university to train more mental health counselors to serve low-income areas.
In a press release, FSU said it received the grant from the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a partnership with Accelerate The Future, a private family foundation.
University officials said the money will help place 300 employees at local community health organizations into FSU’s master’s degree program in mental health counseling. They said an emphasis will be placed on recruiting and retaining BIPOC, bilingual and culturally responsive behavioral health employees.
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“We are extremely grateful to HHS for supporting this important program,” said Framingham State President Nancy Niemi, in a statement. “Our goal is to help resolve the severe shortage of licensed mental health counselors serving in low-income communities. This is one of the many steps forward we can take.”
The university said the grant helps build upon a pilot program that it's operating, also in partnership with ATF, that provides 60 employees at three community health organizations — Children’s Services of Roxbury, The Home for Little Wanderers and the MA Association of Community Health Workers — with full scholarships to receive their master’s degrees in mental health counseling. The program is taught on-site at each of the partner nonprofit organizations (for MA Association of Community Health Workers, it's entirely online).
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University officials also said that in partnership with ATF, the university has been able to reduce tuition from $20,000 to $13,000 for the full three-year master's program.
Thanks to the state funding, the so-called “Diversifying and Expanding the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Pipeline” program will eventually expand to partner with up to 12 more community health organizations.
“Our innovative program will make obtaining a master’s degree and becoming a licensed mental health counselor affordable and accessible for community mental health workers, who often face barriers to higher education,” said Professor Deborah McMakin, coordinator of the counseling psychology program at Framingham State, in a statement. “Once students graduate and obtain licensure, they can expand their roles with their current employer, filling open positions, and reducing wait times for mental health counseling.”
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The university, ATF and their community partners said they have already made "significant financial and administrative commitments" to the pipeline program, and sought state support to fund positions critical to its expansion. Those include a program director, program adviser, assistant director of recruitment and administrative assistant.
To learn more about the counseling psychology program, contact Michael Merriam at mmerriam@framingham.edu. Those interested in having a nonprofit becoming a satellite location for the program, contact Ross Lohr at ross@acceleratethefuture.org or McMakin at dmcmakin@framingham.edu.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham State gets grant to fund mental health counselor program
