INDIANAPOLIS — Eskenazi Health Foundation recently announced a $1 million gift from St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild which will directly support the Behavioral Health Academy (BHA), a partnership between Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center and local universities. The BHA aims to increase the number of dual-licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) and clinical addictions counselors (LCAC) in Central Indiana by attracting high-quality Master of Social Work (MSW) student candidates and offering an enhanced practicum experience for the second and final year of the MSW practicum.
Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center is Indiana’s first community mental health center and offers strengths-based and family- and community-centered inpatient and outpatient programs that use the Recovery Model of treatment for emotional and behavioral problems, including substance abuse.
The BHA helps prepare its students to meet requirements for both clinical licenses through the completion of 700 practicum hours during the internship. BHA students receive a stipend while in the program and can interview for positions upon graduation from their master’s degree program.