Thank you for your interest in applying for the Northeast Tennessee Behavioral Health Workforce Scholarship. The Opioid Abatement Council supports funding for these scholarships. Currently, our region has a shortage of every behavioral health profession, resulting in challenges accessing needed care.
It is paramount that we address this need, especially with the ongoing opioid and drug epidemics. These scholarships aim to improve behavioral healthcare in Northeast Tennessee by increasing and strengthening the behavioral health workforce through funding pathways to licensed behavioral health professions (Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Counselors, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners). If you wish to pursue one of these fields and serve Northeast Tennessee, please consider applying.
Preferred qualifications: Individuals with lived experience of substance use disorder, mental health illness, or who are at risk for either or both.
Requirements:
- Be from the region or have established residency in the region.
- Commit to working in underserved Northeast Tennessee for one year.
- Be a full-time student.
- If seeking consecutive years of funding, learners must earn a B or better in their courses each year to receive funding for the next.
- If working with a site, awardees must work with an approved placement site.
- Each semester, track the number of patients/clients you served and how many hours you spent with them.
- Complete an exit survey within 3 months of completing your program detailing your employment status, employer, and location.
- Attend the semester behavioral health cohort meetings and at least two of the networking nights.
- Awardees cannot be Pathways scholarship recipients.
- Sign an awardee MOU detailing the above criteria.
Award Amounts:
- Incoming Trauma and Resilience Minor - $2,000
- Incoming Counseling student - $3,000
- Counseling Practicum scholarship - $3,500
- Counseling Internship Scholarship - $8,000 per semester
- Counseling Internship GA stipend - $16,000 for academic year + tuition; Internship at Institute for Integrated Behavioral Health required
- Clinical Mental Health Graduate Supervision - $8,000 per year; can apply for consecutive years of funding