Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative Scholarships

Oregon is in a behavioral healthcare workforce crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has awarded a grant to the Counseling, Therapy, and School Psychology department at the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling for tuition scholarships and stipends to help address the critical need for more behavioral health workers in Oregon.

Tuition scholarship awards will vary but cannot exceed $15,000 per recipient for the 2024-2025 academic
year. The amount of the award will be determined by the quality of the application, the applicant’s
eligibility and priority criteria as listed below, financial need, and the availability of funds. Additionally,
as these scholarship funds are tuition-only, the award amount cannot exceed the cost of tuition for the
2024-2025 academic year. Each recipient of a BHWI tuition scholarship is also eligible to receive a
$3,000 unrestricted stipend. Scholarship recipients will be selected through a formal committee process in
the Counseling, Therapy, and School Psychology department in collaboration with the GSEC Dean’s
Office.

Application deadline is March 1, 2024.

The review of scholarship applications will begin March 4, 2024 and will be made on a rolling basis as funds are available. Priority will be given to eligible and complete applications received on or before March 1, 2024.

Application Requirements

This application process consists of a personal essay.

Personal Essay

Student applicants must write a 5-7 page (double spaced) personal essay that encompasses the
following criteria:

1. Your personal interest in the BHWI scholarship. Describe how you meet the prioritized
   eligibility criteria listed above.
2. Your professional identity as a counselor, therapist, or school psychologist. Describe how
   you see yourself fitting into your future career as a professional counselor, therapist, or
   school psychologist.
3. Your commitment to serve underrepresented communities. Describe your commitment
   to providing mental health and/or substance use related services to one or more of the
   following:
   • Members of historically underserved communities (e.g. BIPOC, LGBTQ+)
   • Currently incarcerated populations
   • Children/adolescents
   • Geriatric populations
   • Populations in low-income inner cities and/or rural areas
   • Veterans or military families
4. Effective demonstration of your experience and knowledge with the marginalized communities you wish to serve. Where appropriate, use examples of your work/personal experience with the marginalized communities.
5. A clear plan for future career goals for how you intend to serve the selected communities both during your graduate program as well as after you graduate. This can be through an internship, volunteer experience, or paid work. Explicitly state how you intend to contribute to the behavioral health workforce in Oregon following your program completion at Lewis & Clark.
6. A statement confirming you have submitted a FAFSA for the year you seek scholarship funds.

All materials should be submitted electronically by email to the CTSP Office (ctsp@lclark.edu). The review of scholarship applications will begin March 4, 2024 and will be made on a rolling basis as funds are available. Priority will be given to eligible and complete applications received on or before March 1, 2024.