Behavioral Health Expansion Program

I. Overview

The Behavioral Health Expansion Program (BHEP) is funded through the Social Work Education Capacity Expansion (SWECE) grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) to recruit, train, and place social workers to meet the behavioral health needs of the Northern California Superior Region (PDF) (PDF) across four academic years (Fall 2023 – Spring 2027). The BHEP provides twelve current and incoming MSW students for the 2025-2026 academic year a $10,000 financial stipend for the awarded academic year and does not have a post-graduation service obligation. 

 Awardee will receive stipends in two disbursements:

$5,000 at the beginning of the fall semester

$5,000 at the beginning of the spring semester

II. Student Eligibility and Requirements

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

Are current and incoming MSW students for the 2025-2026 school 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) (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

Student Requirements:

Must complete their 2025-2026 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) (PDF) post-graduation

III. Application Process

The Behavioral Health Expansion Program (BHEP) application for the 2025-2026 cohort will open on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 and will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025.  

The application will include the following:

MSW BHEP application
Brief essay questions: Please submit a Microsoft Word document containing your responses to the two questions. Each answer must be 300 words or fewer—responses that exceed this limit will be automatically truncated. To ensure clarity and precision, copy the prompts into Microsoft Word, respond to each question individually, and verify your word count before uploading your document. Be specific and clear in your responses

Question #1: What professional skills, experiences, and values have prepared you to work with children, youth, and families in the behavioral health system?

Question #2: What do you see as one of the major issues facing children, youth, and families with behavioral health needs? How would you address that issue as a social worker in the public behavioral health system?

*Once you start this Application Form, you cannot stop or return to it. You must complete it in one session. It would be best to have a few things ready when completing this form. Those things include:

Approximately 15-20 minutes of time

Completed essay responses on one document

3. Current Resume

The MSW Behavioral Health Program (BHP) admissions committee will ONLY review completed applications. 

Applications received after the due date will not be reviewed. Students will be notified of the status of their application within one week from the submission deadline.  Selected candidates will be tentatively interviewed during the weeks of April 28th. Students accepted into the MSW BHEP are required to sign an agreement contract, attend an orientation in August, and participate in ALL MSW BHEP meetings, including Zoom and in-person trainings on campus

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

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