Helping Addiction With Knowledge (HAWK) Program

The Center for Workforce Development (CWD) at William James College (WJC) will annually recruit and train seven (7) internship students from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Over the course of three years, the CWD will expand experiential training partnerships with field education sites that offer team-based care in integrated behavioral health and primary care settings. 

The goals and objectives of the HAWK Initiative are as follows:

• Recruit seven graduate trainees who are committed to working with substance use disorders and addictions across the lifespan in high-need and high-demand areas.
• Collaborate with field training sites of the seven awardees to enhance training in substance use treatment and evaluation.
• Offer didactic seminars and professional development workshops on evidence-based and trauma-informed practices for trainees and providers.
• Provide annual stipends to seven graduate students annually, as follows:
  • Seven (7) CMHC students in their internship. Each student will receive a $11,692 stipend annually.
• Evaluate the program’s impacts on trainees’ knowledge, and skills to provide high quality  mental health services to individuals with substance use disorders and addictions.
• Engage in continuous program monitoring, evaluation, and management practices throughout the course of the funded project.

Seven (7) students will be recruited annually from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

1. Clinical Mental Health Counseling students enrolled in Internship
2. At least 25% of the Internship will be focused on experiential training on substance use prevention, evaluation, and treatment
3. Internship training sites provide interdisciplinary team care.
4. Demonstrated commitment to serving individuals with substance use disorders and addictions.
5. Motivation to work with individuals in medically underserved communities and primary care settings
6. Commitment to cultural awareness, sensitivity, and responsiveness
7. Good academic standing
8. Relevant language proficiency 

Note: Students who receive other federal funding (e.g., STAR Fellowship or LDR Fellowship) are not eligible for the HAWK Program. Trainees must be enrolled full- or part-time in a graduate program at WJC in order to receive stipend support. In addition, trainees must be eligible to work in the United States. A trainee receiving support from program funds under this program must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to participate in the HAWK Initiative.

Students who are selected to participate in the HAWK Program are required to:

• Complete a one-year field education training at an approved field training site that serves individuals with substance use disorders and addictions in high need and high demand areas.
• Meet all field training sites’ expectations (e.g., contracted work hours, direct care to clients, telehealth services, consultation and collateral contacts, supervisory hours, attendance at multidisciplinary team meetings).
• Participate in mandatory didactic seminars. Students must be available to attend weekly didactic seminars which will be held via Zoom.
• Remain in good academic standing throughout their participation in the HAWK Program.
• Adhere to their Field Education departmental requirements as well as program policies and procedures for professional conduct and ethical behavior.
• Actively engage in program evaluation-related activities (e.g., complete surveys and other data collection tools).
• Complete and submit Time2Track reports, including detailed client demographic data and training activities, in a timely manner.
• Obtain a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number for data tracking purposes. 
  Complete other tasks, as required by the HAWK Program.

Students who are interested in joining the HAWK Program must fill out an application form via Qualtrics and submit a résumé/CV. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. Following a comprehensive application review process, eligible candidates will be invited for a Zoom interview with the HAWK Initiative faculty.