BOONE, N.C. — Three faculty members in Appalachian State University’s Department of Human Development Psychological Counseling have been awarded $417,472 in funding to improve the availability of culturally sensitive behavioral health services in the Appalachian region. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Through the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, Drs. Karen Caldwell, Laura Gambrel and Christina Rosen will use the first-year funding to recruit and train marriage and family therapy (MFT) and clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) interns who are committed to careers serving the population of rural Appalachia.

Caldwell, Gambrel and Rosen serve as professor, assistant professor and associate professor, respectively, in Appalachian State University’s Department of Human Development Psychological Counseling in the Reich College of Education.

The funding will support 35 Appalachian students during their final internship experiences, providing approximately $10,000 stipends for each.

If the federal budget allows, funding for the project will extend for four years for a total of $1,754,806 combined direct and indirect costs, according to Caldwell.

“Beyond supporting interns at established sites, this project will provide the incentive needed to establish new partnerships with community leaders who are developing the first integrated health care settings in a rural area of Appalachia,” Caldwell said.

“These partnerships will support the creation of new, culturally sensitive internship settings for MFT and CMHC interns. The project also supports recruitment efforts to train MFTs and CMHCs who will commit to providing these services to rural, vulnerable and/or medically underserved clients after graduation, as well as enhanced curriculum on integrated health care.”

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.