Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals

For programmatic or technical assistance questions:
Nicole M. Wilkerson
301.443.7759
BHWET-Para@hrsa.gov

For business, administrative, or fiscal questions:
William Weisenberg
301.443.8056
wweisenberg@hrsa.gov

The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Paraprofessionals provides funding to develop and expand experiential training opportunities, such as field placements and internships, to increase the supply of students preparing to become peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals. The program emphasizes relationships with community-based partners to increase access to quality behavioral health services across the lifespan in high need and high demand areas. Special focus is placed on demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the specific concerns for children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth who are at risk for behavioral health disorders.

Under this program, training will be separated into two levels:

• Level I Pre-Service, which includes didactic and experiential field training
• Level II In-Service, which includes training at a registered Department of Labor apprenticeship site

Applicants are not required to implement Level II in their proposals to be considered eligible for this program.

Overall program goals are to:

• Establish relationships with community-based partners to expand and improve access to behavioral health services, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery services
• Promote collaborative training using team-based models of care in integrated and interprofessional behavioral health and primary care settings
• Recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds representing different racial, ethnic, cultural, geographic, religious, linguistic, and class backgrounds, and different genders and sexual orientations that are interested in serving in high need and high demand areas

Eligible applicants include:

• State-licensed mental health nonprofit and for-profit organizations that are able to support programs for Level I and Level II training of peer support specialists and other behavioral health-related paraprofessionals. This may academic institutions such as universities, community colleges, and technical schools.
• Domestic faith-based and community-based organizations
• Tribes and tribal organizations, if appropriately licensed by a Tribal government or political subdivision

Level I Pre-Service Training award ceiling: $350,000 per year
Combined Level I Pre-Service and Level II In-Service Training award ceiling: $500,000 per year
Project period: 4 years
Estimated number of awards: 43
Estimated total program funding: $16,300,000

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.