Dr. Lee Za Ong, associate professor of counselor education and counseling psychology at Marquette University’s College of Education, has received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop and expand experiential training opportunities for behavioral health professionals. The funding continues work from a nearly $1 million HRSA grant from 2021 and focuses on training clinical mental health counselors with a child and adolescent specialization.
Addressing Workforce Shortages
According to Ong, the current behavioral health workforce faces three interconnected problems: “high need and high demand for behavioral and mental health care among children, adolescents and transitional-aged youth who are at risk for behavioral health disorders,” an “insufficient workforce of master’s level counselors and counselors with diverse backgrounds who specialize in child and adolescent counseling,” and a lack of capacity to train clinical supervisors to support behavioral health trainees. The award will help meet these needs by expanding and creating opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds, including those from rural areas who are committed to working in underserved communities.
Program Expansion
The funding will support stipend assistance to students in their final two semester-long internship sessions prior to graduation. The award will also compensate supervisors for training on ethical guidelines, supervision skills, high quality tele-behavioral health practices, and burnout prevention. Marquette’s program is the only clinical mental health counseling–child and adolescent specialization program offered in Wisconsin and is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Grant Context
The Health Resources and Services Administration is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated or economically or medically vulnerable. The award is funded through HRSA’s Behavioral Health Workforce and Education Training program, which aims to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals while improving distribution of quality workforce and increasing access to services in underserved communities.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.marquette.edu/news-center/2025/education-professor-receives-2-4-million-hrsa-grant-to-continue-behavioral-health-workforce-training.php