There are now 509 new Certified Wellness Coaches throughout California are ready to take on the critical role of supporting children and youth who are struggling with behavioral health challenges. And that number is growing, thanks to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health and the state’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), which is funding the unique program.
Earlier this year, the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) introduced the new state certification program, which was created to increase California’s overall capacity to support the growing behavioral health needs of the state’s youth.
Many people with work experience, such as Danielle Octon, at San Diego Unified School District, became certified and are providing nonclinical support, such as wellness promotion and education, screening, care coordination, individual and group support, and crisis referral. These new Wellness Coaches work as part of a larger care team and under the direction of qualified school professionals or clinicians.
The Wellness Coach certificate is free. People with work experience or recent graduates in fields like social work or human services can start the process of becoming certified now by visiting cawellnesscoach.org.
SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED: HCAI recently awarded $2.8 million in scholarships to 99 students statewide. More applications are being reviewed and approved on an ongoing basis. These scholarships are available to help Wellness Coach students with educational and related expenses. The students who received scholarships are enrolled or accepted into an associate or bachelor’s level program in the fields of social work, addiction studies, or human services at a state college or university for the 2024-2025 academic year. After graduation, recipients must be willing to commit to performing a service obligation for one year, which involves working in a position that requires a Wellness Coach.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: The state continues to make significant investments in youth mental health recognizing that nearly half of the state’s adolescents struggle with mental health challenges. To support California’s children and youth, Certified Wellness Coaches will help build a larger and more diverse behavioral health workforce with the training and supervision needed to engage directly with young people in a wide variety of settings, such as schools and community-based organizations.
EMPLOYER SUPPORT GRANTS: In July, HCAI awarded over $125 million in Employer Support Grants to 64 education and school-based/school-linked health, behavioral health, and related organizations statewide to help support children and young adults. Beginning this fall, the 21-month grants provide resources to hire Certified Wellness Coaches and supervision support, as well as award stipends to Wellness Coach interns.
Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation with over 600,000 students in more than 1,000 schools, was awarded over $8 million.
“We are grateful the Department of Health Care Access and Information has awarded Los Angeles Unified a Certified Wellness Coach Employer Support Grant,” Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “This grant allows us to expand our network of professionals who provide critical academic and social emotional wellbeing support to students and families.”
In rural northeast California, the Lassen County Office of Education, which serves 10 school districts and 4,500 students, was awarded $626,340.
“The Lassen County Office of Education is thrilled to receive the HCAI grant, which will significantly bolster our workforce development initiatives while providing essential services and support to our students. This funding is pivotal in enhancing educational opportunities and preparing our students for successful futures,” said Patricia Gunderson, Superintendent of Lassen County Office of Education.
LEARN MORE: Both interested Wellness Coach applicants and employers can learn about the new state-certified Wellness Coach profession at https://cawellnesscoach.org.