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Mercy College has received a $1.9 million grant from the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration under its Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) program. The grant will fund Mercy College’s Interdisciplinary Health Education Learning Program (IHELP), which will train graduate students to work with at-risk youth.

The grant will be administered over four years to enable IHELP to expand graduate internships that serve children, adolescents and transitional-aged youth who have or are at risk for behavioral health disorders. Integration of behavioral health care into primary care settings will be a key focus in communities that are medically underserved and in need of behavioral health professionals (i.e., School Counselors, Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists and Occupational Therapists) who can aid in the improvement of their educational, mental health and physical health outcomes. With the support of Health Resources and Service Administration, the IHELP Fellows will engage in transformative educational experiences, that will impact many communities in need after graduation.

“Mercy College is excited for this grant opportunity to educate graduate students trained to served communities of color and medically underserved communities,” said Cynthia Walley, Ph.D., Chair of the Counseling Department at Mercy College. “These behavioral health care offerings will help ensure at-risk youth receive much needed support.”

Graduate students in Mercy College’s school counseling, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy and occupational therapy programs will be eligible to become IHELP Fellows. The 29 IHELP Fellows will receive enhanced academic coursework and experiential, interprofessional training in prevention and clinical intervention for behavioral health disorders — along with stipend support. Faculty and field placement supervisors will also receive interdisciplinary and interprofessional training.

The grant will be supported at Mercy College by Walley as well as Minerva Guerrero, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director of the Mental Health Counseling Program; Francine Seruya, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Occupational Therapy Program; Lisa McHale, Clinical Assistant Professor, Counseling Department Clinical Director; and Lastenia Francis, Ph.D., Lecturer and Director of Clinical Placement for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program.

To become a fellow, students must apply the year before starting their internship experience. Students must have a 3.5 GPA or higher, an unofficial transcript, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, a 500-word essay, and an interview. Application Link:

If you have questions or interests, please send correspondence to IHELP Fellowship IHELPFellows@mercy.edu