Connecticut Awarded $2.4M To Address Youth Behavioral Health Crisis
A National Emergency in Youth Behavioral Health
Across the United States, children and adolescents are facing an escalating behavioral health crisis. One in five young people lives with a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, and nearly one-third of them never receive care. Behind these numbers is a workforce stretched beyond capacity: high caseloads, long waitlists, and persistent shortages in pediatric behavioral health and integrated care.
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than 122 million Americans live in designated mental health shortage areas. The gap leaves children without timely intervention, exacerbating depression, anxiety, trauma, and family stress. This shortage is particularly acute in low-income and rural communities, where access to qualified providers remains scarce.
Building the Pipeline — The Behavioral Health Scholars Program
o confront this shortage, the UConn School of Social Work is investing in the next generation of clinicians through a four-year, $2.4 million HRSA grant. Under the leadership of Assistant Professor Jon Phillips, the School will launch the Behavioral Health Scholars Program (BHSP), a model initiative that fuses rigorous academic training with field experience and mentorship.
Each year, 17 Master of Social Work students will be selected as Behavioral Health Scholars. These students will receive specialized coursework in integrated behavioral health, an evidence-based model that treats the whole person by combining behavioral and primary care. Over four years, 68 students will complete the program, each supported by a $25,000 stipend to offset the cost of graduate education.
The BHSP goes beyond classroom instruction. Scholars will complete intensive practicums in leading community agencies such as Wheeler Clinic, the Village for Families and Children, and Community Health Center, Inc. They will work directly in underserved Connecticut communities, guided by faculty mentors and interprofessional teams that model collaborative care.
This practical, embedded approach does more than train students — it strengthens local systems. By embedding future clinicians in real-world integrated care environments, UConn is creating a self-reinforcing pipeline of trained professionals who can remain in-state, filling critical workforce gaps where need is greatest.
Advancing Equity Through Education and Mentorship
A defining feature of the BHSP is its emphasis on inclusion and cultural competence. Faculty and field supervisors will receive targeted training to improve mentorship and supervision, especially for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
This is not only a matter of fairness; it’s a workforce necessity. Behavioral health outcomes improve measurably when clients are served by providers who understand their lived experiences and cultural contexts. By nurturing diversity within the social work pipeline, UConn is positioning its graduates to deliver care that is more effective, responsive, and equitable.
The School’s longstanding community partnerships, bilingual clinical training opportunities, and its MSW Certificate in Child and Youth Behavioral Health further reinforce this equity-driven mission. The BHSP amplifies these existing initiatives with structured mentorship and interprofessional collaboration that reflect the realities of today’s care delivery environment.
Collaboration as the Cornerstone of Integrated Care
Phillips’s research focuses on interprofessional collaboration; the ability of professionals from different disciplines to coordinate care seamlessly for shared clients. Poor collaboration leads to fragmented care, inefficiency, and burnout. The BHSP addresses this gap directly by training social workers to function as integrators within multidisciplinary teams.
Through partnerships with nursing, public health, and medical faculty, scholars will learn to navigate the intersections between mental health, physical health, and social determinants of well-being. Courses will emphasize communication frameworks, case coordination, and evidence-based interventions that span disciplines.
The program also benefits faculty and practitioners: clinical supervisors receive professional development in mentoring and integrated supervision, ensuring that UConn’s behavioral health training ecosystem strengthens at every level.
Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders
Ultimately, the Behavioral Health Scholars Program is more than a grant, it’s a strategic investment in the future of care delivery. UConn’s faculty leadership, including co-PI Milagros Marrero-Johnson, evaluator Meg Paceley, and Dean Laura Curran, envision a multiplier effect: new courses, continuing education for alumni, and deeper partnerships across Connecticut’s behavioral health network.
The first cohort will be selected this fall, marking the start of a long-term effort to strengthen youth behavioral health capacity statewide. As Phillips notes, “By training social workers to provide integrated, evidence-based, and culturally responsive care, we can not only fill urgent workforce gaps but also reduce disparities and improve the lives of children and families across the state.”
For the behavioral health field, the message is clear: sustainable progress will come from investing not just in programs, but in people — the next generation of compassionate, data-driven professionals equipped to rebuild the nation’s mental health infrastructure from the ground up.
Transform Your Vision Into a Thriving Behavioral Health Organization
The path to building a successful behavioral health organization isn’t about luck; it’s about precision, foresight, and the right partners at your side. At Atlantic Health Strategies, our team of executives and operators works alongside you to translate vision into reality. We guide mental health, substance use, psychiatric and eating disorder providers through every layer of operational and regulatory complexity; from licensure and accreditation to compliance infrastructure, HR, and IT managed services.
Our approach is hands-on and deeply collaborative. We don’t just advise from a distance; we integrate with your leadership team to build systems that protect revenue, strengthen quality, and sustain growth. Whether you’re opening your first facility or managing a multi-state portfolio, we tailor every engagement to align with your goals, your payers, and your state’s unique regulatory landscape.
If you’re ready to elevate your organization with a partner that understands the business, the compliance, and the mission connect with us today.