NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Sometimes, the hardest part about getting mental health help is finding it, but the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) has relaunched a popular scholarship to help fill the gaps.

According to state data, more than 3.2 million Tennesseans live in a community without enough mental health professionals.

“Tennesseans are impacted by that shortage just in the fact that there are not enough people to treat them. It means longer wait times. It means sometimes they might not even get treatment at all," Nathan Miller, the senior vice president of operations at Volunteer Behavioral Healthcare said.

People at TDMHSAS noticed the issue years ago and gathered a group of stakeholders to discuss the problem and brainstorm ways to address it.

“We kept hearing that’s why a lot of people weren’t pursuing their master’s degree to become counselors and psychologists and things of that sort because of the amount of money it costs to do that," Jessica Youngblom, director of strategic initiatives at TDMHSAS, said.

In March 2024, the state launched the Pathways Behavioral Health Scholarship program, which provides up to $30,000 over two years for students to pursue a master’s degree in a field related to behavioral health. In exchange, the graduates work for an agency that contracts with the state for the same amount of time they received the scholarship.

More than 800 people applied for the $3 million worth of scholarships in under two months, forcing the state to shut down the application pool due to high demand. Another $900,000 was budgeted for the program that summer.

TDMHSAS quickly noticed the impact.

“It really provided an opportunity to not only help individuals get into the field, but then get them to stay with our treatment providers and help decrease the number of vacancies we’re seeing at our provider agencies who are providing the behavioral health services across Tennessee,” Youngblom said. 

This year, the General Assembly budgeted more than $4.4 million for the scholarships, in addition to $2 million from the Opioid Abatement Council, to create an additional 365 scholarships.

“We’ve had people who have noted it’s changed their lives because they’re able to continue their schooling and not drop out due to financial reasons, or they’re actually able to go back to school and complete a dream they had in order to give back to their communities, so it’s making an impact on our workforce, but it’s also making an impact on the Tennesseans who have been served through the project," Youngblom said.

Those in the field told News 2 the scholarships and raises the state provided a couple of years ago will help recruit and retain more behavioral health professionals in TN. Miller added it's important to get the word out about how fulfilling a career in behavioral health can be.

“Some of the best education in mental health can be earned from working for some of these agencies that are named in these scholarships," Miller said. "You do get the chance to help other people, and if you’re that person who enjoys service and likes to help others, this is a career that will benefit you as well as the lives of others, so I think getting that message out there is a big thing."

More than 200 people have applied for the new round of scholarship funding since the portal opened Monday. To apply or learn more, click here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/tn-relaunches-behavioral-health-scholarship-to-address-workforce-shortage/