Salem State Students Awarded $930K For Behavior Health Internships

SALEM, MA — Salem State University students who have long struggled to complete the unpaid internships necessary to finish their behavioral health degree requirements should be getting some help with the help of a $930,000 state Department of Higher Education grant.

The school's award was part of $12.4 million committed to 37 colleges and universities in December to support and grow the behavioral health workforce.

SSU School of Social Work students completing practicums often find great difficulty balancing the demands of their degree with those of the real world with 400 to 600 hours of work needed to complete at their internship employment site per year.

"It can't be understated the impact of stipends within the education of social workers," said Beth Massaro, associate dean for the School of Social Work in the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services. "We're highly trained professionals who can work in such a wide range of settings. You almost can't find a setting where you won't find a social worker.

"Because the work is so intensive and broad in scope, what we call our 'signature pedagogy' is the practicum experience. The knowledge comes together, and the student has the experience of how it’s applied in the real world while they have the support of the educational program."

Required practicum placements play a central role in helping students prepare to serve as behavioral health practitioners, but these experiences are often unpaid and often require students to sacrifice paid work.

The $930,000 to be received by Salem State University was the third highest dollar amount announced by the state, with Simmons University awarded $1.54 million and $1.05 million awarded to Springfield College.

"Massachusetts needs more qualified behavioral health professionals, and our administration is committed to supporting students eager to do this work," Gov. Maura Healey said. "By investing in students looking to treat those experiencing mental health and substance use challenges, we're investing in the long-term health and wellness of communities across Massachusetts.”

Lt. Gov. and SSU alumna Kim Driscoll said: "We want Massachusetts residents to be able to access qualified behavioral health professionals when and where they and their families need them, and that will only happen if we lift barriers for entering this field. One crucial step to creating a strong behavioral health workforce is making earning a degree financially feasible for students driven to fill the roles."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)