Newsletter Article

July 26, 2023

First Cohort of County Staff Will Begin Master’s Program in the Fall; Over 1,500 Peers Certified

Key staff: Lucero Robles, LCSW, Director of Workforce Development

Through a new partnership between CalMHSA and Palo Alto University, designated county staff can receive a Master’s in Counseling degree in exchange for a service commitment set by their county. Named Project Cultivate because of its intention to grow the public behavioral health workforce, the program now has its first cohort of committed students for the fall semester. 

The Project Cultivate degree program includes a training emphasis on Marriage, Family and Child Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The fall cohort includes eight staff from five different counties, with a second cohort planned for the fall 2024 semester. For more information, contact workforce@calmhsa.org

Also expanding the county workforce is the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification program. As the statewide certifying entity for this new program, CalMHSA offered the first certification exam in December 2022 and has now certified more than 1,500 Peers throughout the state.

Counties working with certified Peers may want to direct them to the certification website for guidance on how to advertise their certification and list their credential and any specialized training.