Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program - The Targeted Resources and Advanced Instruction for New Behavioral Health Professionals (TRAIN) project will increase capacity to provide behavioral health care services in high-need and high-demand areas for children, adolescents, and transitional age youth. Capacity will be increased for the Master of Education in Counselor Education program (CEP) at Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development. The TRAIN project has four primary aims: 1. Recruit, train, and retain diverse graduate students, including underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities, individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and individuals from rural areas interested in working with children, adolescents, and young adults. 2. Provide evidence-based behavioral health services to children, adolescents, and young adults in high-need and high-demand areas. 3. Build clinical supervisor capacity for AU CEP faculty and experiential site supervisors. 4. Integrate technology to improve outcomes for trainees and program participants. The program aims to place 48 counseling interns in high-need and high-demand areas to provide evidence-based, inclusive behavioral health practices. At the end of the project period, we envision a CEP that prepares students to excel in counseling settings for diverse child, adolescent, and young adult populations, and is recognized as a champion for behavioral health care training and education in Georgia. A comprehensive project evaluation will provide evidence of the effectiveness of program implementation and a guide for others to replicate this program.
