FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Non-profit agencies in Western Washington are turning to Heritage University master’s program for mental health counselor education and training for their employees

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University is helping non-profit agencies in western Washington meet the demand for mental health counselors by offering their Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling (MMHC) program to non-profit employees. The hybrid MMHC program delivers an HU-created curriculum to Seattle-area non-profit agency employees who find it challenging to earn their master’s degree due to schedule constraints, family responsibilities, and the cost of obtaining the degree.

Forty-one students across two cohorts representing eleven non-profits are enrolled in the program. The first cohort comprised 23 students from six agencies (Catholic Community Services, Center for Human Services, Community House, Therapeutic Health Services, Transitional Resources YMCA of Greater Seattle) started classes this past spring. A second cohort of 18 students from an additional five agencies (Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Consejo Counseling Services, Evergreen Health, Vine Maple Place and WAPI Community Services) will begin classes this fall.

Amy Nusbaum, Ph.D., chair of the psychology department at Heritage says the versatility of the MMHC program’s curriculum will allow graduates in western Washington to work as mental health counselors in a wide array of fields. “Our program is proud to partner with these incredible professionals who are already doing vital work in their communities,” said Dr. Nusbaum. “We are excited to be a part of that work by providing the graduate education needed to help address the mental health crises happening in King County, the Yakima Valley, and beyond. Heritage University has a long history of designing degree programs to meet the needs communities are experiencing, and this is just another example of the Heritage mission in action.”

YMCA of Greater Seattle Program Director Genell Hennings says the MMHC will help agencies like hers meet their emerging need for master’s professionals in local community behavioral health agencies. “The MMHC program addresses the critical shortage of master’s level behavioral health providers from historically marginalized groups – specifically individuals living with a disability, and members of the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities within King County,” said Hennings.

Graduates of the program agree to work in a therapeutic capacity at their sponsoring agency for a period of four years in exchange for this tuition free graduate school opportunity. For more information contact Amy Nusbaum at (509) 426-4536 or nusbaum_a@heritage.edu. For help coordinating interviews, please contact Davidson Mance at (509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

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