Graduate students in the program discuss counseling strategy.
Do you want to be a counselor who helps stem the tide of Ohio’s mental health and addictions challenges so prominent in the news? Do you want to help couples and families overcome mental health concerns or children’s behavioral issues?
Are you dedicated to serving communities facing the most acute shortages of mental health care professions?
A new grant to the College of Education and Human Ecology will provide a full scholarship that allows you to qualify for professional certification or licensure by earning a master’s degree in the applied areas of (a) counselor education or (b) couple and family therapy.
Starting this autumn, all your tuition will be paid for two years, ensuring that you graduate with minimal debt. You would also be eligible for an internship stipend when you engage in your required field experiences. In return, you would agree to work in behavioral health facilities that support the well-being of underserved Ohioan populations.
Choose to graduate from one of two well-regarded and established programs in Ohio. Our nationally accredited Counselor Education program is named one of the top 10 best programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, year after year. This year, it ranks No. 4.
In Counselor Education, you can opt to specialize in either clinical mental health counseling or addiction counseling.
Or choose our Couple and Family Therapy program, which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and routinely ranked as one of the top research programs in the nation.
You will train in our Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, fitted with the latest equipment, under the caring guidance of one of our AAMFT-approved supervisors.
The scholarship support is a grant awarded to the college from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The agencies, in partnership with Health Impact Ohio, aim to increase the number of licensed behavioral health professionals serving children, youth and underserved communities statewide.
“Our college is committed to working with the state of Ohio to provide an excellent education to students who are dedicated to meeting this important behavioral health challenge in the most needed areas,” said Erik Porfeli, interim dean of the college. “We are equally grateful for the opportunity to eliminate the cost of attendance for these future licensed professionals.”
“This scholarship aligns with one key focus of our college, which is enriching student preparation to help people build health and wellness in their lives, in their relationships and in their careers. We look forward to the impact this support will have on those who receive the scholarship, as well as those they will serve across Ohio.”
Program designed to grow workforce, serve Ohioans
With the grant, the college will fund 129 scholar slots across the two-year grant cycle, beginning this autumn.
Students must be Ohio residents who agree to serve in this field within an underserved area of the state for a period equal to the number of years for which they received the scholarship support.
The Ohio departments’ recruitment initiatives will emphasize attracting candidates from federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas across Ohio. This includes recruiting individuals from Franklin County, where Ohio State is located. Numerous facilities in the county are designated as experiencing a shortage.
College faculty bring expertise to the program
Two experienced co-principal investigators will administer the program.
Beverly Vandiver is a professor of human development and family science (HDFS), and its program chair. HDFS includes the specialty of Couple and Family Therapy. Professor Vandiver is a leading expert in quantitative methodology and psychological identity. She also is a trained counseling psychologist, with a background in children and family therapy.
Brett Zyromski is an associate professor of counselor education, the program chair of the Counselor Education program, and a national expert in evidence-based school counseling, school counseling interventions that build hope and belonging and systemic interventions that foster student holistic success for every student.
“I am excited to partner with the Counselor Education’s program and the Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship program,” Vandiver said. “Ohio, as well as the nation, is experiencing a shortage of behavioral health specialists from all helping professions.”
“By investing it our students’ education, Ohio is showing its commitment to the mental health of the people living in this state. The therapy faculty members are invested in delivering well-trained couple and marriage therapists to serve Ohioans.”
Zyromski described an added benefit of the program that will enhance graduates’ employability at eligible sites.
“The Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship has offered an opportunity for students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling - Addictions Concentration and the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration to work together with students in the Couple and Family Therapy program through Interdisciplinary Workforce Readiness Seminars,” he said.
“These seminars will cover Ohio-specific public healthcare delivery, Medicaid billing compliance and trauma-informed community care models. The cross-program collaborative work will enhance the readiness of all our students to serve the mental health needs of residents of Ohio.”
