Mental Health Pathway
The Mental Health field is extremely broad, encompassing a wide variety of careers that focus on helping people meet their basic human needs including: social worker, counselor, health aid, and much more. Essentially, mental health careers focus on areas where people need help. The day in the life of someone in mental health could include: working with clients and other professionals, such as social workers, to develop a treatment plan and help clients complete paperwork to apply for assistance programs and researching services, such as food stamps and Medicaid, that are available to clients.
The Education Fund has partnered with educational providers to offer the choice of Associate Degree programs or a certificate program to eligible members in Mental Health.
Why Choose Mental Health?
Employment in the mental health field is projected to grow 17 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.*
- The Human Services Certificate of Accomplishment offers greater work opportunities as social-service technicians, case management aides, mental health technicians, social worker, counselors and other human service careers.
- The Associate in Arts degrees offer individuals the opportunity to study a specialized area in mental health that can translate into a variety of careers within the mental health field.
- Mental Health workers across healthcare settings including hospitals, family services, nursing and residential care facilities, community and vocational rehabilitating services.
* Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Program Locations & Dates
Find your region below and click to expand and find out about start dates, program length and more:
Online - California, Nevada and Colorado
Provider: Coastline College Extended Learning Division
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and the program is offered each session. To participate in the fall B session, apply by October 18th.
Program Dates:
- Fall B Session: October 25 — December 19, 2021
Northwest (Washington and Oregon)
Provider: Clackamas Community College
Human Service Generalist Associate Degree
Program Length: 90-92 units
Program Start Dates: January 3, 2022 – March 19, 2022
Prerequisites: Complete Human Service Interview and Assessments
Provider: Portland Community College
Program Start Dates: January 10, 2022 – March 27, 2022
Family & Human Service Associate Degree
Program length: 90 Units
Prerequisites: Complete with a C or better in College Composition. Complete with a C or better or a Pass in Math literacy or Introductory Algebra. C or better or a Pass in Career-Technical Computation or equivalent placement.
Addiction Counselor Associate Degree
Program length: 90 Units.
Prerequisites: Complete with a C or better in English Composition, Library Research & Beyond, Addiction, Theories of Counseling, and Basic Counseling Skills.
Foundations in Human Service Certificate
Program length: 13 units
Prerequisites: Complete with a C or better in Introduction to College Composition, College Reading or Introduction to College Reading and Composition and Fundamentals of Mathematics or equivalent placement
Addiction Studies Certificate
Program length: 44 units
Prerequisites: Complete with a C or better in English Composition, Library Research & Beyond, Addiction, Theories of Counseling, and Basic Counseling Skills.
Nevada
Provider: College of Southern Nevada
Applied Psychology Associates Degree
Program Length: 60 units
Program Start Dates: January 18, 2022 – May 15, 2022
Prerequisite: None
Get Started
If you’re interested, feel like you might be a good fit and are ready to get started, please schedule an appointment with a career counselor.
For questions, please ask a career counselor by using the Find Out More button below: