BHWEP Program

Student Involvement

The BHWEP is a joint effort of the University of Dayton (UD), Central State University (CSU), and Family Resource Center that prepares students to expand both quality and access to mental, emotional, and behavioral health services in Ohio.

Graduate students are developing leadership skills and gaining field experience through non-clinical internships at community behavioral health centers who are registered with OhioMHAS. Each student will fulfill a time requirement of 20 hours weekly in non-clinical internships.

The BHWEP supports:

• Eight new clinical mental health counseling professionals entering the field,
• The completion of social work undergraduate training by eight traditionally underrepresented students,
• One graduate research assistant, and
• One undergraduate research assistant.

Program Initiatives

1. Increase the number of traditionally underrepresented students, especially from Ohio Health Improvement Zones or HRSA Mental Health Shortage Areas, entering the University of Dayton’s accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling program (and applying to other mental health training programs across the state of Ohio).
2. Provide educational support packages to traditionally underrepresented students currently in Central State University’s accredited undergraduate program in Social Work.
3. Increase the number of graduate students committed to completing practicum, internship, and a minimum of one-year post-graduation in a Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) prepared to work on interdisciplinary and integrative health teams.
4. Increase the number of license-eligible individuals who work in Ohio Health Improvement Zones or HRSA Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas to address health disparities among populations in high-risk and underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minority populations and rural communities, as well as Appalachian Ohio counties.
5. Develop a Professional Resource Library to reduce the administrative burden on mental health service providers while increasing the proficiency of practitioners across the state; and
6. Increase public awareness of mental health service options and mental health career paths.

Funding

How this program benefits our graduate students:

• Cost-of-living stipend in the amount of $12,000
• Tuition stipend in the amount of $18,240 (estimated as 24 credit hours @ $760)
• Non-clinical internship stipend of $10,000
• Laptop computer, and
• mileage/travel budget of $925.

How this program benefits our undergraduate students:

• A cost-of-living stipend in the amount of $12,000
• A tuition stipend in the amount of $10,000; and
• A laptop computer.