Graduate students immerse themselves in the study of the discipline to which they’re devoted. But it’s a different experience to actually work in their chosen field. In behavioral healthcare, that means listening closely and compassionately to someone struggling with depression, addiction, domestic violence, or another distressing situation, determining and implementing a tailored treatment plan, and identifying the resources most helpful for healing.
It’s then that students make the move from scholars to clinicians.
Riverside Community Care and Lesley University have combined strengths to make this happen, while also working to meet the soaring gap in need vs. supply of trained behavioral healthcare clinicians.
In the spring of 2023, Riverside and Lesley created a workforce development initiative called Riverside Scholars@Lesley. In their second year of graduate work, students in Lesley’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program begin internships with experienced clinicians at Riverside. They work in our Outpatient Centers and in programs like Domestic Violence, Life Skills for teens, and community-based Respite Services, and are given priority consideration for employment following graduation.
We’ve now developed a series of monthly workshops designed to augment these students’ training and aid their transition to well-rounded clinicians. Maggie Giles, Chair of Lesley’s Graduate Department of Counseling and Psychology, and experienced Riverside personnel co-facilitate the seminars.
So far, we’ve presented Co-Occurring Disorders, co-led by Riverside’s Chief Behavioral Health Strategy Officer Kim Fisher, which explores the interdependence of mental health and substance use disorders, and Electronic Health Records, with Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health Services Ryan Rivard explaining the intricacies of online health records. Coming up next is Working With Peer Supports, where Amie Sica, VP Recovery & Peer Services, will introduce students to this important new collaborative role.
The university has developed Scholars@Lesley arrangements with other behavioral health organizations based on the successful model implemented with Riverside, its first and largest partner. The program’s success was demonstrated at an open house this spring, which showcased the partnerships and attracted 230 students. Paulo Fulton, Riverside’s executive vice president, remarked, “I would say that the most gratifying aspect of this experience is the energy and excitement of the students as they prepare to become the next generation of caring, qualified behavioral healthcare clinicians.”
The Scholars program is not Riverside’s only successful collaboration with Lesley. We first came together in 2022 to open the Riverside Outpatient Center at Cambridge, right on the Lesley campus. Independently operated by Riverside in close coordination with the Lesley Counseling Center, the licensed behavioral health center is believed to be unique among college campuses nationwide. Through the Center, we have expanded mental health, wellness, and addiction services not only for students and staff but for the surrounding community.
