Behavioral Health Service Corps℠ in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Take a Post-College Gap Year in the Mental Health Field
You don't have to choose between real-world experience and graduate education. The Behavioral Health Service Corps is a year-long, paid service opportunity where students can explore career options while earning graduate credits. Visit our main page for core program details. See below for information about our BHSC-Rhode Island cohort.
Scholarships Funded by the Rhode Island Foundation
Funded by the Rhode Island Foundation, the Center for Workforce Development at William James College is expanding the Behavioral Health Service Corps (BHSC-RI) to recruit, mentor, and train emerging professionals from groups underrepresented in the behavioral health field. This includes individuals from ethnic, linguistic, and racial minority groups; first-generation college students; individuals with disabilities; LGBTQIA+ communities; and veteran and military-affiliated populations.
As part of the College’s strategic commitment to strengthen and diversify Rhode Island’s behavioral health workforce, BHSC-RI is designed to bring new talent into the field and support the retention of providers who reflect the communities they serve. The program prepares participants to deliver culturally fluent care in historically excluded and underserved communities across the state, helping to address Rhode Island’s urgent workforce shortages and improve access to high-quality behavioral health services for individuals and families.
Scholars who successfully complete and graduate from the BHSC are eligible for a $10,000 annual scholarship to defray the costs of tuition and fees when they enroll in the William James College MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which is offered online and on-campus.
A $500 sign-on (recruitment) bonus will be awarded to each enrolled student during the fall semester and a $500 retention bonus will be given during the spring semester.
To be eligible for the scholarship, BHSC graduates must:
- Be admitted to the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at William James College.
- Have completed a full-time, year-long work placement (i.e., a minimum of 1,600 hours) at an agency that is approved by the BHSC.
- Have received passing grades and earned 6 credits in the two courses offered through the BHSC.
- Have participated in all group supervision and professional development activities offered through the BHSC.
- Have actively engaged in mentorship and career counseling services offered through the BHSC.
- Have received a Certificate of Program Completion following their year-long enrollment in the BHSC program.
Note: BHSC graduates who complete some, but not all, of the program requirements listed above are not eligible for the scholarship.
Additionally, priority will be given to eligible BHSC graduates who:
- Self-identify as belonging to a group that is underrepresented in the field of behavioral health.
- Have a demonstrated background and/or interest in serving historically excluded and underserved populations.
- Work and plan to practice in Rhode Island.
- Have a strong commitment to providing behavioral health services in a community health center or at a community-based agency.
Candidates for the Behavioral Health Service Corps℠ Scholarship Program must fill out an application form and participate in an interview to determine their eligibility for the scholarship.
For more information about the BHSC Scholarship Program or to obtain the link to the application portal, please email workforce@williamjames.edu.
Behavioral Health Agency Partners
- Bierman Autism Centers
- Bradley Hospital
- Butler Hospital
- Justice Resource Institute (JRI)
- Key Program, Inc.
- Northeast Family Services
- Tides Family Services
