County of Los Angeles Stipend Program  -  Qualifying Schools for Educational Stipends

The California Department of Mental Health (State) has initiated the MFT Educational Stipend Program with plans to award educational stipends to MFT students to address the statewide workforce need for mental health practitioners in underserved communities.

The Goals of the State’s MFT Educational Stipend Program:

1. to recruit MFT graduates with capacity to serve the culturally diverse needs of persons in mental health care
2. to prepare recruited MFT graduates in the delivery of mental health services that promote wellness, recovery and resilience, and
3. to recruit into MFT academic programs individuals who have experience in the public mental health system as clients or family members of clients.

The long-range objective of the MFT educational stipend program is to promote public mental health as a career option for those entering the MFT profession. Towards that end, the stipend program promotes curriculum development in MFT graduate institutions that prepares MFT graduates for public mental health practice.

The Mental Health Services Act

The State’s stipend program is funded through the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Enacted in 2005, the mission of MHSA is to transform California’s public mental health delivery; in part, with mental health professionals dedicated to community service and to the care of those living with mental illness, by inspiring hope in their recovery, focusing on their personal strengths, respecting their cultural perspectives and learning from their lived experiences as consumers. http://www.dmh.ca.gov/Prop_63/MHSA/default.asp

2009-10 State Stipend Application Status

The application deadline for the 2009-10 stipends was November 6, 2009. There were a total of 281 applications, 21 of which were disqualified.  The following provides the totals for qualified applications, (disqualified applications) and stipends to be awarded with a breakdown by regional MFT Consortium:

MFT Consortium of San Diego:

37 eligible applicants (4 disqualified) 5 stipends to be awarded

MFT Consortium of Orange:

22 eligible applicants (2 disqualified) 10 stipends to be awarded

MFT Consortium of Greater Los Angeles:

155 eligible applicants (12 disqualified) 20 stipends to be awarded

MFT Consortium of the Bay Area:

22 eligible applicants (4 disqualified) 20 stipends to be awarded

MFT Consortium of Greater Sacramento:

23 eligible applicants (0 disqualified) 5 stipends to be awarded

Reasons for applications not qualifying included: late submission, incomplete application, signatures missing, degree date ineligible and applicant’s school not on the list of qualifying schools.

2009-10 State Stipend Recipients
60 educational stipends were awarded statewide for the 2009-2010 academic year. These recipients were awarded $18,500. Stipend recipients that consented to have their names and school affiliations published on the website are listed below by each regional consortia:

MFT Consortium of San Diego (6 stipend recipients):
Elisa Helm - Brandman University
Sylvia Iribe - Univ of Phoenix, San Diego
Melissa Martinez - University of Phoenix, Imperial
Tri Nguyen - San Diego State University
Mary Lou Perez - Bethel Seminary

MFT Consortium of Orange County (10 stipend recipients):
Erika Beltran - California State University, Fullerton
William Funes - California State University, Fullerton
Leticia Gonzalez - Brandman University
Annahita Mahdavi - Pepperdine University, Irvine
Jose Ramirez - California State University, Fullerton
Ada Reveles - California State University, Fullerton
Marsinah Trujillo - Pepperdine University, Irvine
Katherine Womack - Vanguard University
Noushin Zarini - Alliant International University, Irvine

MFT Consortium of Greater Los Angeles (20 stipend recipients):

Elena Abeyta – Pacific Oaks College

Veronica Avalos - Phillips Graduate Institute

Keturah Baker - Pepperdine University, W. LA

Gerard Bautista - Pepperdine University, W. LA

Pauline Castellanos - Pepperdine University, Malibu

Martha Castillo - Pacific Oaks College

Liliana Chavez - Phillips Graduate Institute

Ileen Fields - Pacific Oaks College

Maritza Garza - Antioch University, Santa Barbara

Jose Gomez - Phillips Graduate Institute

Laura Guanill - Antioch University, Santa Barbara

Esmeralda Hernandez - Pacific Oaks College

Elizabeth Iribe - California State University, Long Beach

Rita Celina Jacques - Phillips Graduate Institute

Nairi Mathewsian - University of Southern California

Emely Ortiz – Antioch University, Los Angeles

Deborah Svidler - Phillips Graduate Institute

Yanira Torrez - California State University, Long Beach

MFT Consortium of the Bay Area (18 stipend recipients):

Lilian Alfaro - Santa Clara University

Joy Amao - California Institute of Integral Studies

Michelle Baca - California State University, Sonoma

Ana Bandjak - The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

María Buckallew - Santa Clara University

Alyssa Girón - Argosy University, Alameda

Jimmy K. Ho - San Francisco State University, San Francisco

Jennifer Hu - University of San Francisco, San Francisco

Maya Johansson - California Institute of Integral Studies

Janet López - Santa Clara University

Jamie Luck - University of San Francisco

Ana McParland-Gonzalez - The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

Jennifer Parr - California Institute of Integral Studies

Ariana Sanchez - Argosy University, Alameda

Rosa Serpas - San Francisco State University
Esin Zamora - California State University, Sonoma 

MFT Consortium of Greater Sacramento (6 stipend recipients):

Alicia Iniguez - University of San Francisco, Sacramento

Lien Pham - Alliant University, Sacramento

Thanh Nuong-Kathy Nguyen - California State University, Sacramento
Sierra Sparks - Brandman University

2009-10 Mental Health Services Act Training for State Stipend Recipients/Alternates

Mental Health America of Los Angeles conducted a two-day training on the principles and values of the MHSA. For an overview of the training, download the Mental Health Servcies Act Training Outline.   

Recipients and alternates attended the trainings at one of the three locations: 

San Francisco/Sacramento area on February 18 & 19 from 9am-4pm at:
John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill Campus
100 Ellinwood Way
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 
www.jfku.edu

Los Angeles area on March 8 & 9 from 9am-4pm at:
Phillips Graduate Institute 
5445 Balboa Blvd.
Encino, CA 91316
www.pgi.edu

San Diego/Orange County area on March 11 & 12 from 9am-4pm at:
Brandman University (formally Chapman University College)
7460 Mission Valley Rd.
San Diego, CA 92108
http://www.brandman.edu/sandiego/contact.asp

Employment and Placement Verification Forms
Stipend Recipients are required to commit to one year of employment as payback for the California Educational MFT Stipend Program. The agency must be approved by the regional coordinator prior to acceptance. The verification forms below are required at initial hire as a registered MFT Intern by the Board of Behavioral Sciences.

To verify employment: Employment Verification Form and Instructions
To verify volunteer placement: Placement Verification Form and Instructions

Disbursement of Stipend Checks to 2009-2010 State Stipend Recipients
Phillips Graduate Institute has received stipend funds from the state. The first installment of the stipend, $9,250, have been mailed to stipend recipients. The second installment of the stipend, $9,250, will be sent within two weeks upon receiving the stipend funds from the state. The current estimate for stipend recipients to receive the second half of the stipend is July.

2010-11 State Stipend Recipients
Sixty (60) stipends of $18,500 each will be awarded statewide during the 2010-11 academic year. Recipients of the State stipends will be required to commit one year of employment at a mental health service agency operated by the state, a county, or an agency contracted by a governmental entity to provide mental health care. Applicants must be graduating between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. Information on the 2010-11 California Educational MFT Stipends will be available in summer 2010.

UPDATED 4/20/10