WET Program

To address California’s public mental health workforce challenges, the Mental Health Services Act established a Workforce Education and Training (WET) component. CalMHSA has supported counties with workforce recruitment and retention, serving as the passthrough agency for WET funds.

This state-funded program will conclude in June 2026 and is no longer accepting applications for new awards.

From 2020–2025, the WET Five-Year Plan prioritized strengthening public mental health services by supporting care at the lowest level of intensity and expanding the role of non-licensed personnel across the system. During this period, CalMHSA provided application support, assisted with program implementation, and managed 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 for students completing service learning within public mental health system agencies, with funding levels based on academic aspirations (including certificate, associate degree, and bachelor’s degree), pre-placement training, lived experience, and other factors
• Postgraduate stipends for clinical master’s and doctoral students completing their final year of education in a public mental health system agency, in exchange for a 12-month service commitment

CalMHSA remains committed to strengthening California’s behavioral health workforce and supporting counties in meeting ongoing and future workforce needs.