Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program - Lindsey Wilson College (LWC) proposes the “Resilience, Integration, and Support Expansion for Behavioral Health in Underserved Communities” (RISE) Fellowship to expand the behavioral health workforce in Appalachian Kentucky and West Virginia with counselors trained to provide integrated behavioral health care across the lifespan, particularly for children, adolescents, and young adults. The targeted trainee population for the RISE Fellowship program includes: 1) students in LWC’s master of education in counseling (COUN) program; and 2) Licensed Professional Mental Healthcare Clinicians, who are site supervisors for COUN experiential training sites. The 60-hour COUN program uniquely offers specialization in clinical mental health counseling. LWC plans to select 12 RISE Fellows per year with a preference for students who reside in Kentucky and West Virginia given the significant need for trained counselors in those states. While the LWC COUN student body is generally representative of the overall population in Kentucky and West Virginia, the majority of COUN students require financial support to enroll in and complete the program. The shortage of behavioral health providers and the high level of behavioral health needs contribute to significant barriers to mental health and addiction treatment in Kentucky and West Virginia. The RISE Fellowship program aims to prepare behavioral healthcare providers to collaborate in integrated treatment settings in medically underserved communities (MUC) in the Appalachian region. The program will increase partnerships, allowing student placement in integrated care clinics and better preparing students and supervisors to effectively collaborate in interdisciplinary treatment teams while engaging families for improved treatment outcomes. Fellows will complete three hours of specialized Pre-Practicum training followed by 12 hours of specialized electives (four specific courses) and nine hours of field experience coursework during their year of participation. The didactic and experiential training experiences are designed to foster interprofessional, team-based practice. Clinical supervisors at the experiential training sites will complete one hour of Pre-Practicum training (including telehealth training) and three hours of continuing education during their initial year of participation. This initiative will have a transformative impact on public health in the Appalachian region in the following ways. 1) Workforce expansion and diversity: The number of licensed behavioral health professionals serving MUCs will increase by 30%. To ensure diversity, at least 50% of trainees will come from rural or diverse backgrounds. This aligns with the program's overarching mission to recruit and train professionals representative of the Appalachian population. 2) Skill development and certification: All trainees will complete certifications in trauma-informed care and telehealth, ensuring they can effectively address the complex behavioral health needs of their communities. 3) Trainee completion: The program aims for an 80% trainee completion rate, achieved through structured academic and clinical support systems, including the use of rubrics and clinical evaluations. 4) Licensure and National Provider Identifier (NPI) acquisition: Graduates will secure licensure and obtain and provide NPIs within one year of program completion, bolstered by licensure workshops and ongoing alumni engagement. 5) Community impact: Trainees and graduates will provide behavioral health services to over 2,000 individuals in Appalachian MUCs during their training, addressing immediate healthcare gaps while building long-term capacity. LWC requests funding priority/preference under Qualification 1 (high rate of placing graduates in practice settings with a principal focus of serving residents of MUC) and Qualification 2 (significant increase in placing graduates in MUC).
