Career Ladder Program
Are you a passionate, service-minded individual? Are you interested in a career in mental health? Take the next step in your professional and educational journey and join the Behavioral Health Service Corps℠ (BHSC).
We're looking for talented college graduates who desire to work in underserved communities and make a difference in the lives of others. You'll gain hands-on experience, earn a salary, and get credit toward your master's degree. The BHSC program is offered in two locations: BHSC-Massachusetts and BHSC-Rhode Island. Read on to learn more about how this program can shape your career.
More than 1 in 5 children and adults have behavioral health problems that impact their work, education and family life. About one-quarter of Massachusetts residents who seek behavioral health treatment are unable to secure an appointment—and for those seeking a provider with expertise in working with children or seniors, or who come from a similar cultural background, the process of finding a provider is even more complicated. Few clinicians treat children or seniors, and nearly ninety percent of behavioral health professionals nationwide are non-Latino Caucasian.
The William James College Behavioral Health Service Corps℠ offers you an introduction to this important healthcare field and the opportunity to help.
“Being a part of this program has definitely opened my eyes to what the field was like, but also my place in the field. I really came to this program to strengthen my clinical skills and to become a well-versed clinician. My previous work has been very much community service-based so a really big draw to the program was how I am able to work in communities that are underserved.”
Capryce Browne
Behavioral Health Service Corps℠ Student
Fridays will be reserved for academic training, mentorship, professional development, and supervisory-related activities. Students will be enrolled in either a morning or an afternoon cohort.
As a BHSC participant, you will enroll in two graduate-level courses at William James College designed to complement and enhance your employment and service experience. Together, the courses provide six (6) graduate credits that may be applied toward eligible graduate degree programs at WJC, including the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and PsyD in Clinical Psychology programs.
Employer partners provide up to four hours per week of work-release time for BHSC participants to engage in coursework, didactic training, and professional development activities.
BHSC participants currently complete:
BHSC participants who successfully complete the program and subsequently apply to an eligible graduate program at William James College receive an automatic admissions interview.
An automatic interview provides eligible BHSC alumni with the opportunity to advance to the interview stage of the application process. It does not guarantee admission. Applicants must meet the admission requirements and standards of the graduate program to which they apply.
Students work side by-side with behavioral health professionals who have committed their lives to serving the needs of others, giving students the opportunity to learn through direct mentoring and also the opportunity to make an impact through their own work. In addition, Students live and learn in Massachusetts or Rhode Island and connect with peers who share the same commitment to service.
We're excited to offer two cohorts of the BHSC program every fall.
While the core experience is the same at both locations, each program provides unique scholarships and benefits to support your growth. Learn more about what each location has to offer!
William James College students bring enthusiasm, curiosity and fresh energy which invigorates our teams. Many bring lived experience, language skills and cultural humility that strengthen our ability to serve diverse communities, while also receiving additional training and supervisory support to help navigate the challenges in the field. This helps with retention and morale and has a positive impact on the overall culture within our programs.”
Tara Sagor
Senior Director of Training and Development, Justice Resource Institute.
Funded by MetroWest Health Foundation, the Center for Workforce Development offers the BHSC–Bridge (also known as “The Bridge Program”), a new Behavioral Health Service Corps (BHSC) initiative that creates paid career opportunities while strengthening the behavioral health workforce in Framingham.
The Behavioral Health Service Corps at William James College is a year-long, paid, service-learning opportunity. If you are considering taking a gap year after your undergraduate program or are looking for a career change, the BHSC might be the perfect program for you. Read on to see just some of the reasons to take a gap year with the Behavioral Health Service Corps.
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With generous support from the Rhode Island Foundation, the Center for Workforce Development has expanded the Behavioral Health Service Corps. (BHSC-RI) to recruit, mentor, and train emerging professionals from groups underrepresented in the behavioral health field.
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Growing up, Carolina Jaldin attributes regular exposure to behavioral health services provided through her school as instrumental in processing some of the trauma she grew up with. “I can't imagine what my childhood would have looked like without the tools to comprehend all of what I was feeling,” says Jaldin, a second-generation immigrant, who was raised by a single mother from Brazil.
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