Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program - Project Title: Marquette Behavioral Workforce Education and Supervisor Support Applicant Name: Marquette University, College of Education Address: P.O. Box 1881, Schroeder Complex, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 Project Director: Lee Za Ong, PhD, LPC, CRC., 414-288-1550, leeza.ong@marquette.edu Website Address: https://www.marquette.edu/education/graduate/cecp/index.php Program Discipline: Professional counseling Amount Requested: $ 2,400,000 for 4 years (7/1/2025 – 6/30/2029) Funding Preference Requested: Qualification 1: High Rate This project aims to expand experiential training opportunities to improve the distribution and supply of the behavioral health workforce, particularly clinical mental health counselors with a child and adolescent specialization. The project will also recruit, develop, and expand the capacity to train clinical supervisors to support the trainees. The proposal seeks funding to provide stipends to master’s students in need during their final year of experiential training. The requested funds will provide critical support for these students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to obtain a graduate degree education; will expand the diversity of the workforce; and will increase access to quality behavioral health services, especially in underserved and rural communities. This project is a competing continuation project built upon the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology’s (CECP) Clinical Mental Health Counseling – Child and Adolescent Specialization program (CMHC-CAS), the only child and adolescent counseling program (online and on-campus) in Wisconsin. This CACREP-accredited program has provided evidence-based and emerging best practices in clinical mental health services for children, adolescents, and their families since 2013. The proposed four-year project addresses the BHWET program objectives by: (a) Increasing the number of new or expanded community partnerships with experiential training sites in high-need and high-demand areas; (b) Promoting collaborative training by using team-based models of care to integrate behavioral health care into interprofessional primary care settings; (c) Recruiting a diverse workforce interested in working with children, adolescents, and young adults; and (d) Recruiting, developing, and expanding the capacity to train clinical supervisors to support and mentor behavioral health trainees. The project will implement success strategies for students who are from underrepresented backgrounds by providing student-centered advising and supervision. Grounded in the Jesuit principle of cura personalis (care for the whole person), the CMHC-CAS curriculum emphasizes evidence-based, interprofessional, trauma-informed care with a focus on cultural humility and social justice. It shapes graduates into providers who respect and respond to individuals’ holistic growth, wellness, and health needs. Clinical placements are available at primary care settings in high-need and high-demand areas throughout Milwaukee County and Northeast Wisconsin. We build strong community partnerships through free, quality professional development and supervision training. Graduates receive employment support via networking, employer relations, and alumni collaboration. With this proposed project, we will increase the number of behavioral health providers who specialize in child and adolescent counseling, and who reflect the demographics of the recipients of behavioral health services in the community. The project will offer $25,000 internship stipends to each eligible student per year – at least 68 students by the year 2029 – for a grant total of $ 2,400,000.
