PLATTSBURGH — A multi-million-dollar federal grant is helping support or defray costs for graduate students in SUNY Plattsburgh’s social work and clinical mental health counseling programs as they navigate field placements and experiential learning practicums.
The University received a four-year, $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration last summer that provides nearly $600,000 each year to provide eight counseling and eight social work grad students with $25,000 each to help cover the cost of tuition and other expenses.
The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program gives eligible students specialized, integrated training in behavioral health care with a focus on children, adolescents and young adults ages 18 to 25.
Dr. Portia Turco, assistant professor in counselor education, and grant co-researcher Dr. Donna Van Alst, associate professor in social work, said this program will help close the gap in mental health services.
“There is a growing need for behavioral health services, made even greater since COVID,” Turco said.
The grant provides additional support during students’ practicum, field placements and more.
“A lot of our students are working adults, and it really takes its toll,” she said. “They have to work, and they’re fatigued. Ethically, we want to have behavioral health care providers who are well. The grant allows them to perhaps not work so they can focus on other training. It gives them a chance to finally train and provide services across the board.
“It’s an enriched educational experience, and clients benefit from having providers who have all this knowledge and support in addition to what our students receive as part of the curriculum.”
Van Alst said this grant helps social work and clinical mental health counseling departments develop relationships with agencies, “benefitting the broader behavioral health community, developing the capacity of staff, connecting them with students they could eventually hire.”
“We’re so happy to be able to offer the stipend to our students. It makes a huge difference,” Van Alst said. “But in addition to the stipend, they have the opportunity to do additional course work focused on integrated behavioral health — meeting people with mental health needs where they are, working with primary care providers, interprofessional teams and promoting the overall well-being of clients.
“Doctors bring a unique knowledge of physical health. Social workers and mental health clinicians are trained to address psycho-social issues that their clients might be experiencing. All create overall well-being. We get more partners at the table to ensure well-being.”
Students selected for the program have demonstrated an interest or, as Turco called it, a passion for working in these underserved, high-need areas.
In order to be eligible for the program, students must be committed to pursuing a behavioral health career in an underserved community, with preference to those who commit to working in the project’s service region, including Albany, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties.
“This is an opportunity to really enrich the curriculum,” Turco said. “We can do so much more when students are not overtaxed by having to work 40-hour-a-week jobs. Students can concentrate on their clients or the project they’re working on. A community approach benefits everyone.
“And remember, our ultimate goal is to ensure we keep them here. If they’re having a good experience, they’re more likely to stay.”
For more information on the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, visit tinyurl.com/m7vzwrbx or contact graduate admissions at 518-564-4723 or email graduate@plattsburgh.edu.