California's Stanislaus County has taken a bold approach to addressing its lack of licensed mental health clinicians.
County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services is training 50 case managers and outreach workers to serve as lay mental health counselors, according to a May 15 news release. The prospective counselors are learning the ropes at the Lay Counselor Academy in Oakland, founded by lay counselor Alli Moreno and psychologist Elizabeth Morrison, PhD.
Those who complete the training won't manage psychiatric medications or handle crisis intervention, according to the news release. Trainees will instead learn techniques including motivational interviewing. Training starts with an in-person meeting, but most is completed primarily on Zoom or other online settings.
The county will pay the academy up to $171,000 for the training services, according to the news release. The academy has trained more than 80 people referred by health agencies in New York and California, Dr. Morrison said.