Pathways Trainee Opportunities
We recognize that the mental health field continues to evolve and People Incorporated is committed to nurturing the growth of future mental health practitioners and professionals through continued training and education. Pathways creates new opportunities for professional growth in the behavioral health field. Collaboration with the newly established Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee provides guidance and input for each of the Pathways initiatives.
The goals of the program are:
- Understand how to create resiliency
- Learn the fundamentals of mental health care
- Observe and practice client management skills
- Practice and provide a person-centered experience for each client
Pathways includes programming for recent graduates and current students in behavioral health, counseling, psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy and other related fields.
To support our Pathway’s development programs, trainees will have access to a full-time Pathways Community Liaison who will develop community alliances, and assist in recruiting, mentoring and understanding the cultural needs of trainees.
Recent bachelor’s level graduates can 
participate as Practitioner Trainees in a Paid Field Experience, which is a nine-month program that includes:
- 6 weeks of intensive training and program shadowing
- 6-7 months of employment as a float practitioner assigned to cover a varying range of shifts
The program begins with six weeks of training and shadowing that serves as an orientation to the programs and introduces skills they will use while working in our float pool – a group of mental health employees that fill staffing gaps that may occur across the agency due to time off, illness, or staff transitions.
Practitioner Trainees will begin working in a wide variety of People Incorporated programming – including:
- Adult Foster Care (AFC)
- Children’s Day Treatment
- Crisis Residential Services
- Customized Living
- Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS)
- Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder Services (MI/SUD)
Anyone who is 18 years of age or older with a high school diploma/GED can participate as a Mental Health Support Specialist (MHSS) in a Paid Field Experience, which is a three-month program that includes:
- 3 months of on the job experience working in Adult Foster Care
- Six weeks of training: including First Aid, CPR, and medication administration
- Overview of mental health diagnosis and symptoms
- Motivational interviewing, de-escalation skills, and person-centered care
- Introduction to boundaries, ethics, risk in work relationships and trauma
- Cultural competencies and implicit bias
The White-McGhee-Sims & Ron and Nancy Reed Scholarships are generous, endowed scholarships that allow People Incorporated to support Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color enrolled in a Master’s level program to support families, such as social work, psychology, marriage and family, etc. People Incorporated has been the administrator of this scholarship since 2012. In the fall of 2020, four students were awarded a $500/month stipend for six months and gain 600 hours of training and experience in the mental health field.
The 2020 application for this scholarship is now closed. The 2021 application process will open in October 2021.
