GENERAL RESOURCES
Helping students succeed for careers in Counseling and Social Work
Anna Maria College has been awarded a multi-year grant of up to $1.92 million that will support the education and clinical practices of mental health counseling and social work students. Eligible Anna Maria graduate level students will receive financial stipends, support and interdisciplinary training to strengthen their competencies. The goal is to increase the quality and quantity of mental health practitioners and substance use treatment providers. Anna Maria College is the only college in Central Massachusetts to receive this award.
The project “Internships Need: Trainings, Experientials, Resources, Networks (INTERN)” is designed to interest more students in the behavioral health majors and better prepare them for professional licensure and employment success. The funding, which can be extended for up to four years, comes from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program of the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
More Information
Read Full Press ReleaseTalk of the Commonwealth Radio Interview
Worcester Business Journal Article
About Our Programs
General Questions
Not Taken For Granted
Eligible Programs
Contact Information
About Our Programs of Study
The MSW Program at Anna Maria College is an Advanced Generalist practice model grounded in the liberal arts and the person-in-environment framework. To promote human and social well-being, advanced generalist practitioners use a range of prevention and intervention methods in their practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities based on scientific inquiry and best practices. Upon graduation, all MSW students are eligible to test for their Licensed Certified Social Work (LCSW) with the Association of Social Work Boards.
Anna Maria College’s LMHC Counseling Psychology program teaches students to connect with the heart, soul, and spirit of their clients to foster healing. For the Class of 2021, 100 percent of LMHC graduates were employed immediately upon graduation. The LMHC helps prepare for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This program prepares graduates with both critical-thinking skills and ethically sounding solutions to help impact their community across the spectrum of mental health professions, including clinical work in inpatient/outpatient settings, residential programs, and schools.
General Questions
Click below for information on some general questions.
Do I qualify for a stipend?
Students need to be a graduate student in good academic standing in either the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (LMHC track) program or the Master of Social Work program at Anna Maria College. Students qualify for internship stipends in the final year of their field placement. For LMHC students, the stipend can be applied to their 600-hour internship (not 100-hour practicum). For MSW students, the stipend can be applied to their 620-hour field placement (not their 450-hour field placement).
How do I apply for a stipend?
The Director of Field Placement will provide the student with the link to the online application during the field placement process.
When are stipends distributed?
Anna Maria College’s Business Office will distribute funds to students twice per academic year. Students will receive $5,000.00 at the end of the fall semester after the program has received the hours verification and student evaluation from the agency site supervisor. Similarly, students will receive the second half of their stipend ($5,000.00) at the end of the spring semester upon the submission of hour’s verification and final student evaluation. The total stipend award is $10,000.
If I submit an application, am I guaranteed to receive a stipend?
Unfortunately, not all graduate students who apply for the BHWET stipend will receive one. An evaluation committee, comprised of faculty from both graduate programs will review all applications using a rubric to determine eligibility. Priority will be given to students who serve patients across the lifespan with a special focus on children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth in need of behavioral health and families in high-need and high demand rural communities, including addiction and recovery. Preference is given to internships at agencies that provide team-based models of care in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral and primary care services.
Does the internship stipend affect my Financial Aid or student loan status?
No, this grant provides a cost-of-living stipends and are dispersed via Direct Deposit to a student’s bank account. Students will fill out a W9 if awarded a $10,000 stipend.
Not Taken For Granted
The benefits of the stipend program are multifaceted as it decreases the financial burden of an advanced education while simultaneously opening accessibility to such programs, particularly among students who have work and/or family responsibilities.
Amy George, Marc LeBlanc, and Mariah Vega are Anna Maria graduate students who participated in Anna Maria’s first semester offering the INTERN project and subsequent stipends. The three are in their practicum settings for their Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degrees.
Click here to read about their experience and listen to their conversation with Professor John Pratico, PsyD, LMHC
Contact Information
Lenore Rust, MSW, LICSW
Professor of Practice
MSW Program Director
Social Work
(508) 849-3293
John Pratico, PsyD, LMHC
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Dean of Behavioral and Mental Health Programs
(508) 849-3413
