Rhode Island Foundation Awards $500,000 to William James College to Launch Behavioral Health Service Corps–Rhode Island

Transformational gift will strengthen training for emerging professionals and support individuals facing mental health challenges.

Newton, MA — William James College (WJC), a leader in education and workforce development in the field of behavioral health, announced that the Rhode Island Foundation has awarded the College a $500,000 grant to expand its innovative Behavioral Health Service Corps (BHSC) into Rhode Island. The three-year award will support the launch and expansion of the BHSC–Rhode Island (BHSC-RI), a first-of-its-kind program nationally.

Modeled after the Peace Corps, the BHSC is a groundbreaking, paid service year available to recent college graduates who are exploring careers in the behavioral health sector. The program addresses critical statewide and national workforce shortages by placing participants into vacant positions within behavioral health centers, agencies, and hospitals while they complete academic coursework and receive intensive professional mentorship through WJC.

The Foundation’s investment will enable WJC to scale the program to more than 40 scholars by 2028 and grow the College’s broader educational and mental health initiatives throughout Rhode Island. Placement site partnerships include community-based organizations across the state, including Bierman Autism Centers, Bradley Hospital, Brown Health/Gateway, Butler Hospital, Child Builders ABA, the Justice Resource Institute Leader in Social Justice, Key Program, Inc., Northeast Family Services, and Tides Family Services.

“Workforce shortages are placing unprecedented strain on behavioral health systems nationwide, and the lack of diversity within the field continues to create barriers to quality care,” said Dr. Nicholas Covino, President of William James College. “Programs like the Behavioral Health Service Corps are essential to building a stronger, more representative workforce equipped to meet today’s mental health needs.”

The three-year grant to William James College is among nearly $4 million awarded by the Rhode Island Foundation through its new Catalyst Grant program, which advances initiatives with long-term potential to improve health, civic participation, and education, among other priorities.

“Our new Catalyst Grant program provides larger and multi-year grants to support innovative initiatives focused on catalyzing change and creating lasting progress that responds to one or more of our new community priorities, and related focus areas,” said David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “The primary goal is to support collaborations that can implement innovative approaches by breaking down barriers that have prevented progress in the past.”

Established by WJC in 2020, the BHSC is the nation’s only service-learning program dedicated exclusively to training the next generation of mental health professionals. Scholars earn graduate credits, receive scholarships, participate in a collaborative cohort, and benefit from guidance and mentorship from WJC faculty. The program places strong emphasis on equity and representation: more than 40% of participants to date identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). This structured pathway enables scholars to serve underserved communities while gaining hands-on experience addressing urgent mental health needs.

“This transformational gift empowers us to bring an innovative workforce model to the Ocean State,” said Covino. “The BHSC equips emerging professionals with the training, experience, and support needed to provide high-quality mental health care while responding directly to the current workforce crisis.”

BHSC-RI students take two graduate-level courses (six credits) in WJC’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s program and receive supervision, professional development opportunities, and a $10,000 annual scholarship if they choose to continue graduate education at WJC. Historically, 66% of BHSC scholars have remained employed at their placement sites after completing their service year, and 40% have gone on to pursue master’s degrees at WJC, with 12% advancing to doctoral-level studies in Clinical Psychology.

Other recipients of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Catalyst Grant program include the Coalition for a Multilingual Rhode Island, Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England, Generation Citizen, the Rhode Island Recycling Project, and the Rhode Island Food Policy Council.

For more information about the Behavioral Health Service Corps, visit William James College – Behavioral Health Service Corps. 

About William James College

Founded in 1974, William James College is the largest psychology educational institution in New England and a leader in the education of organizational and behavioral health professionals. The College offers degree and certificate programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels in mental health and applied psychology. Through strong partnerships with community agencies and organizations, William James College works to eliminate barriers to education, expand access to high-quality care, and create pathways to careers in behavioral health for students from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Constantly evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society, the College prepares highly skilled professionals to serve individuals and communities across a wide range of settings including schools, courts, healthcare systems, and the workplace.

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