Exploring Behavioral Health Careers
BB2C and the Appalachian Children’s Coalition (ACC) have worked together for over two years to increase awareness about and encourage students to enter behavioral health career pathways. This partnership has allowed BB2C to offer paid exploratory internships to students throughout the BB2C Network. These students were placed in businesses and organizations for 40 hours to see what different behavioral health positions look like. This summer, ACC offered two Youth Behavioral Health Careers Institutes to rising 9th graders through 2024 high school graduates for the first time. BB2C was excited to be a part of engaging students in activities through the Behavioral Health Careers Institute in Washington County.
The Youth Behavioral Health Careers Institute was aimed at introducing high school students in Appalachian Ohio to careers in the mental and behavioral health sector. This initiative worked to create a pipeline for these students to gain hands-on experience through internships, pursue relevant educational opportunities, and ultimately secure employment in the region's behavioral health field.
During these hands-on, full-day events, students had the chance to explore a range of careers within the mental and behavioral health domain, including counseling, social work, social services, specialized therapy, and more. They engaged in networking sessions with professionals and fellow students, and also gained valuable insight as well as team building and communication skills.
Summer 2024 served as the pilot for the summer institutes. Shawnee State University and Washington State College of Ohio were the two host locations of the events. Ohio University, Rural Action, and BB2C had the opportunity to partner with the ACC to provide student-centered sessions that were interactive and engaging. Ohio University brought their virtual reality technology to each session, and students got to engage using the VR goggles for a real-life scenario. Rural Action engaged in an interactive, meditative outdoor session with the students at Shawnee State while BB2C introduced students to the concepts of learned helplessness and explored different mental, physical, and spiritual coping skills through different activities.
One hundred and one students participated in these two events. Each student who attended the Institute was encouraged to continue to explore these career pathways through an exploratory internship and the hope is that that many will ultimately choose to stay and work in this field in Appalachian Ohio. For more information about paid exploratory internships in the behavioral health field, contact BB2C at internships@bb2careers.org.