Application window open Jan. 2 through Feb. 13, 2025
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: California is providing scholarships to support hundreds of behavioral health students across the state as part of a larger investment in California’s health workforce. The state is offering Certified Wellness Coach and Behavioral Health scholarships of up to $35,000 to students attending California colleges.
SACRAMENTO – A shortage of behavioral health care workers is prompting California to invest in scholarships to support behavioral health students across the state. Students who want to provide non-clinical mental health support to children and youth can apply for a Certified Wellness Coach scholarship. Students who aspire to provide direct patient care as a behavioral health care practitioner can apply for the Behavioral Health scholarship. Both scholarships are being administered through the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). Application cycles are now open and will close Feb. 13, 2025.
“Our goal is to create more pathways for students to enter the behavioral health care field or advance their education. We hope these scholarships will reduce financial barriers for students, whether they are recent high school graduates or they are seeking a career change,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson.
“California is continuing to build upon its vision of an inclusive, innovative, and accessible behavioral health system, with a focus on children and youth. These scholarships will play a pivotal role in developing a diverse workforce of behavioral health professionals in underserved communities throughout the state,” said HCAI Director Elizabeth Landsberg.
WHY THIS MATTERS: California is experiencing a shortage of qualified behavioral health care professionals and an uneven geographic distribution of those workers. Awarding scholarships to behavioral health students in California is a strategic and essential step in addressing the state’s mental health crisis.
ABOUT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: California’s Certified Wellness Coach Program was launched by HCAI in 2024 with the goal of increasing the number of professionals to help children and youth through age 25 navigate behavioral health challenges. This unique scholarship program is geared towards students who are interested in entering the behavioral health care field or students who may need additional education to become certified. Wellness Coaches provide pre-clinical services to support the behavioral health and well-being of young people, including wellness promotion and education, screening, care coordination, individual and group support, and crisis referral. The goal of this new profession is to 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. Once qualified, students can apply for the Wellness Coach certificate, which is free. To date, there are 975 Certified Wellness Coaches, with that number increasing daily.
Eligible applicants for the Certified Wellness Coach Scholarship include students enrolled or accepted into an associate or bachelor’s level program in the fields of human services, addiction studies, psychology, or social work at a state college or university for the 2025-2026 academic year. Once their education is complete, they can apply to become certified as a Wellness Coach. As part of their scholarship obligation, recipients must be willing to commit to working as a Wellness Coach for one year.
The HCAI Certified Wellness Coach scholarships will cover the cost of attendance of one year of an applicant’s education program with a maximum award of $35,000. Applicants can learn more by visiting the Wellness Coach website, and can apply at the HCAI Wellness Coach website.
The Behavioral Health Scholarship Program (BHSP) provides scholarships to behavioral health students seeking education or training to become behavioral health practitioners through a certificate, associate, bachelor, master and/or doctoral degree program in exchange for a 12-month service obligation practicing and providing direct patient care in an underserved community.
BHSP scholarships may be awarded to students spanning 32 professional categories—including behavioral health specialists, community health workers, substance use specialists, case managers and more. This scholarship gives priority to those with the ability to speak at least one of 17 Medi-Cal threshold languages, a history of volunteering or working in a medically underserved area, or a disadvantaged background. Eligible BHSP applicants may receive up to $35,000, which covers the cost of attendance for one year of an applicant’s education program. Applicants can apply for the Behavioral Health Scholarship Program by visiting HCAI’s Behavioral Health webpage.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PERIOD: The application period for both scholarships opened Jan. 2 and will close at 3 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2025.
HOW THIS HELPS CALIFORNIANS: These scholarships expand both the skilled behavioral health workforce and access to health care in underserved areas by incentivizing individuals to fill gaps in California’s health care system in return for financial aid. They help build a more robust, diverse, and well-trained mental health workforce, improve access to care, and ultimately enhance the well-being of the state’s residents while yielding long-term benefits for both the individuals and the state health care system.
Both scholarships are made possible through funding from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). The CYBHI is part of Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, a historic investment by the State of California to address the factors that contribute to the mental health and well-being of our children and youth. The goal of the CYBHI is to transform the systems that support behavioral health and wellness to promote well-being for all children, youth, and families. This includes preventing and addressing emerging and existing mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges, including substance use issues and wellness.
BIGGER PICTURE: These scholarship programs are just one piece in a larger effort to address Californians’ behavioral health needs, including the need for an expanded workforce. In 2024, voters passed Proposition 1, known as Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT). BHT is designed to modernize the behavioral health delivery system, expand the workforce, improve accountability and increase transparency, and expand the capacity of behavioral health care facilities for Californians. It also compliments the recently approved Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) federal demonstration project. BH-CONNECT will establish a robust continuum of evidence-based community services for people with significant behavioral health needs, including providing up to six months of transitional rent for qualified members, funding new training for providers and counties, and addressing disparities through targeted funding and innovative programs. This includes a $1.9 billion robust and diverse behavioral health workforce initiative that includes scholarships, loan repayment programs, recruitment incentives, residency and fellowship expansions, and professional development.