WET Program

To address California’s public mental health workforce challenges, the Mental Health Services Act provides a component for Workforce Education and Training (WET) programs. The 2020-25 WET Five-Year Plan emphasizes supporting public mental health services that provide care at the lowest level of intensity and promote the use of non-licensed personnel throughout the delivery system.

To assist counties with workforce recruitment and retention, CalMHSA acts as the passthrough agency for WET funds, provides application support, assists with program implementation and manages contracts for the following WET programs:

  • Educational loan repayment assistance to public mental health system professionals identified at the local level as serving in high-need positions
  • Undergraduate scholarships to students in exchange for service learning received in a public mental health system agency. The funding level may depend on the student’s academic aspirations (including certificate, associate degree, and bachelor’s degree), pre-placement training and education received, lived experience, and/or other possible factors. This component is especially valuable to expanding the knowledge and skills of non-licensed personnel through training and education opportunities.
  • Post graduate stipends for post-graduate clinical masters and doctoral education service performed in a local public mental health system agency. Students are selected in advance of their final year of education and receive funds in exchange for a 12-month service commitment.

Questions or comments? Email: [email protected]