Behavioral health clinics in region receive state boost to train new clinicians
BY ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
SATURYDAY, AUGUST 9, 2025
Several behavioral health providers in the Pioneer Valley have received more than $2 million from Gov. Maura Healey’s administration to provide additional support for training and certifying clinicians entering the field.
The funding grants a total of $17.9 million to 71 behavioral health providers across the commonwealth. The largest recipient in western Massachusetts was River Valley Counseling Center of Holyoke, which received $912,000 just before becoming a member of the Northampton mental health agency ServiceNet.
“We serve the most undeserved populations in the areas where our clinics function,” said Elaine Campbell, vice president of clinical services at ServiceNet and the former assistant executive director at River Valley. “We take a lot of pride in training behavioral health interns and getting unlicensed clinicians licensed, and hopefully they stay with us and grow and develop within the organization.”
According to Campbell, the funding goes directly to supervisors training interns across several disciplines such as social work, doctoral students in psychology, mental health counseling, and marriage counseling. Campbell said the funding would go to between 25 and 30 supervisors overseeing around 20 interns over the next two years.
Most behavioral health clinics, like River Valley, operate at a loss due to low reimbursements from insurance companies, Campbell said. That has led to a reduced workforce, lower wages and higher workloads for supervisors, leaving less time to train newer cohorts of aspiring clinicians.
The funding from the state, to be distributed over the next two years, aims to ease that burden at behavioral health centers.
“Supervisors have a lot on their plate, in clinics. At times, I’ve had people who are licensed clinicians who don’t want to supervise because it’s too much work,” Campbell said. “This allows us to incentivize those supervisors.”
Other funding given to Pioneer Valley organizations includes $576,000 to Clinical and Support Options of Northampton, $360,000 to the Behavioral Health Network of Springfield and $192,000 to Lorenzi Health of Holyoke. The total investment across all 71 providers will support 793 clinical supervisors and at least 1,491 supervisees, according to the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
“This financial support recognizes the valuable contributions of current clinicians who mentor and train a diverse, qualified and well-supported behavioral health workforce,” HHS Secretary Kate Walsh said in a statement. “Supporting people early in their careers and connecting them with mentors and people who can guide them gives newer clinicians a network to turn to, which will reduce burnout and improve care to patients in our state.”
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at [email protected].
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