Hood's counseling program has been awarded a grant of nearly $1.3 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program.

The grant will support the program’s goal of training counselors for a diverse mental health workforce, to better serve local communities in need.

With these funds, the Hood Counseling program will be able to:

• Increase the number of counselor trainees at field placement sites in underserved communities.
• Expand professional development opportunities for both students and supervisors.
• Launch a hybrid training clinic staffed by Counseling M.S. students under the supervision of licensed supervisors, offering both telehealth and face-to-face, low-cost counseling services to young adults.

Stipends of $10,000 will be available to select students completing their internship at qualifying hospitals, community mental health agencies, addictions treatment facilities or alternative/therapeutic schools serving high needs populations.

The program plans to launch the training clinic during the 2021-2022 academic year. Services will be offered to Hood students first, with the goal of eventually opening services to community members.