FSU Gets Money to Train Mental Health Counselors

Campus News

Campus News

FSU Is Helping Fill the Gap
in Mental Health Counselors

Framingham State University, in partnership with Accelerate The Future (ATF), a private family foundation, recently received $1.39 million from the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) to diversify and expand the state’s pipeline of behavioral health specialists.

The money will help place 300 employees at local community health organizations into FSU’s master’s degree program in Mental Health Counseling. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting and retaining BIPOC, bilingual, and culturally responsive behavioral health employees.

“We are extremely grateful to HHS for supporting this important program,” says Framingham State President Nancy S. Niemi. “Our goal is to help resolve the severe shortage of licensed mental health counselors serving in low-income communities. This is one of the many steps forward we can take.”

The grant helps build upon a pilot program that FSU is operating, in partnership with ATF, that is providing 60 employees at three community health organizations (Children’s Services of Roxbury, The Home for Little Wanderers and the MA Association of Community Health Workers) with full scholarships to receive their master’s degrees in Mental Health Counseling. The program is

taught onsite at each of the partner non-profit organizations (in the case of the MA Association of Community Health Workers, it is entirely online), providing easier travel and learning convenience to the graduate students.

In partnership with ATF, FSU has significantly reduced tuition from $20,000 to $13,000 for the full three-year program. Additional funding to further reduce costs is available for students entering the program in 2024 and 2025, provided through foundations and affordable cost-sharing opportunities with community health organizations and their employees enrolled in the program.

Thanks to the HHS funding, the “Diversifying and Expanding the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Pipeline” program will expand to partner with up to 12 more community health organizations, whose employees stand to benefit from the opportunity to rise in their careers.

“Our goal is to help resolve the severe shortage of licensed mental health counselors serving in
low-income communities. This
is one of the many steps forward
we can take.”