Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program - The Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Programs at Pacific Lutheran University are requesting funding to address the behavioral health needs of at-risk children and youth in Washington State’s Tacoma and South Puget Sound region, which is home to many rural and underserved communities. The purpose of this project is to increase the diversity and number of trained, licensed behavioral health professionals in the South Puget Sound and surrounding underserved areas who can serve children and youth as well as to develop curriculum, programming, and community networking opportunities to increase the number and quality of supervisors to trainees. The objectives of the proposed project are as follows: Objective 1: Increase the number of graduate-level behavioral health practitioners in Tacoma and the South Puget Sound region committed to working in community behavioral health with children and youth in interdisciplinary settings; Objective 2: Expand graduate programming and/or learning opportunities to enhance skills with children and youth in community mental health and school settings; Objective 3: Increase the access and affordability to clinical supervision for new behavioral health graduates in Tacoma and the South Puget Sound region; Objective 4: Support professional identity development, connection to community-based supervision, and community building for new behavioral health graduates. Objective outcomes will be assessed and measured utilizing various tracking processes, which are detailed in the narrative. In sum, outcomes will be measured by the number of graduates from the MSW and MFT programs who are supported by stipends (objective 1); the number of students who complete youth-focused practicum placements and the school certificate program (objective 2); the development of supervision curriculum meeting Washington State supervision requirements and the enrollment of qualified professionals (objective 3); and the development of community-based networks to sustain ongoing supervision and training opportunities (objective 4). The proposed project has strong potential to increase the number of clinicians providing behavioral health services to at-risk children and youth, the number of supervisors who can help these clinicians gain licensure to further their careers, and the community networks of clinicians, supervisors, and organizations serving children and youth. Ultimately, these advances will increase access to behavioral health for underserved children and youth living in Tacoma and the South Puget Sound region and surrounding areas.
