Student Eligibility and Requirements

MSW students can enroll in the Behavioral Health Program (BHP) for one academic year at a time and can participate in the training program for up to two academic years. However, acceptance into the training program for one academic year DOES NOT guarantee acceptance for a second year. Students are not eligible to receive both behavioral health stipends simultaneously. Both the behavioral health stipend programs (BHEP and CalSWEC PBH) have direct practice requirements. Only MSW students who are completing their practicum placement during the awarded academic year are eligible to apply.

The Behavioral Health Expansion Program (BHEP) is open to those who meet all eligibility requirements below:

• Are incoming MSW students for the 2024-2025 school year and/or are recipients of the BHEP award from the 2023-2024 academic year*
• Entered their practicum training year of MSW study in good academic standing
• Represent historically underserved communities in one of the 18 Northern California Superior Region  (PDF)counties: Del Norte, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba
• Are committed to providing behavioral health services to children, youth through the age of 25, and their families/caregivers, and/or are students who have utilized behavioral health services in under-resourced and underserved communities in Northern California

*Eligible BHEP students must represent an expansion of our current MSW program

Student Requirements:

• Must complete their 2024-2025 field placement at an agency or organization that provides direct behavioral health services to children, youth, families, and young adults through the age of 25 in under-resourced and underserved communities in one of the 18 Northern California Superior Region (PDF) counties
• Must participate in ALL BHEP orientation, meetings, events, training, and other academic and field placement activities during the awarded period
• Must participate in ongoing MSW BHEP program evaluation as required by the Principal Investigator
• Must be committed to providing behavioral health services in the service region (PDF)post-graduation

The CalSWEC Public Behavioral Health (PBH) is open to those who meet all eligibility requirements below:

• Are enrolled in our MSW program for academic year 2024-2025
• Entered their practicum training year of MSW study in good academic standing
• Matched/matching with a field practicum site for the awarded academic year in a publicly funded behavioral health care sites/programs
• Not receive funding support from any other California Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) administered training, stipend or scholarship program
• Interest in and commitment to learning about the issues, challenges and needs specific to behavioral health care practice in public service settings
• Linguistic and cultural competencies that align with the needs of underserved consumers in CA
• Demonstrated, strong, and sustained commitment to social work careers in CA’s public behavioral health care systems programs and settings

Student Requirements:

• Must complete their 2024-2025 field placement at an agency or organization that provides direct public behavioral health services to
• Must participate in ALL CalSWEC PBH orientation, meetings, events, training, and other academic and field placement activities during the awarded period
• Must participate in ongoing program evaluation as required by the Principal Investigator and CalsWEC
• Must be committed to providing behavioral health services in the State of California post-graduation
• Be complete all required general and behavioral health-focused courses as specified by the MSW and Behavioral Health Program 
• Complete the post-graduation service obligation. For each year of award, the awardee is required to complete the equivalent of 12 months of full-time service employment in a Master’s level position with eligible publicly funded behavioral health care service sites include community-based behavioral health care clinics and agencies, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, schools/districts, SELPAs, colleges, inpatient and outpatient health care sites AND child welfare, regional center, juvenile delinquency, court and adult corrections units with publicly funded behavioral health programs and services, etc.
• Upon graduation, must pursue LCSW licensure

 *NOTE: Paid employment or agency stipends/financial awards do not preclude your participation in the Behavioral Health Program. The exception are current Title IV-E participants, CalSWEC Adult Protective Services participants, and those receiving direct funding support from any other HCAI administered training, stipend or scholarship program. 

If you would like further information about the MSW BHP, please contact Judy Vang, Program Coordinator at tvang@csuchico.edu