GMercyU Launches Behavioral Health Institute to Support Regional Workforce Development
Gwynedd Mercy University launched its Behavioral Health Institute, a new regional hub designed to strengthen and retain the behavioral health workforce through continuing education, clinical supervision and career-long professional development.
The Institute will serve GMercyU students, alumni, faculty and behavioral health professionals across the region, providing programming on clinical excellence, ethical practice, cultural responsiveness and clinician resilience.
It will soon offer affordable individual and group clinical supervision for clinicians pursuing Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensure. The Institute comes at a pivotal time when employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow 17% by 2034, but Pennsylvania projects a shortage of more than 6,300 behavioral health workers this year.
Pennsylvania’s behavioral health workforce shortage directly affects whether individuals and families can access care when they need it. The Behavioral Health Institute gives clinicians a trusted, accessible place to continue building their skills, meet licensure requirements and access the professional support that helps them excel in the field.
- Janice Nuss, DSW, LCSW, Social Work Program Director
A primary mission of the Institute is to help practicing professionals maintain and advance their credentials. Pennsylvania social workers, professional counselors and marriage and family therapists are required to complete 30 continuing education hours every two years. GMercyU’s Social Work Program is designated as a pre-approved provider of professional continuing education by the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors.
Another offering of the Institute includes a Virtual Lunch and Learn Series, with each session providing one hour of Pennsylvania State Board-approved continuing education credit. The series begins September 22 with Access and Navigating Mental Health Services: An Overview of the Public Mental Health System in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Mental Health. Additional sessions will address ageism in mental health practice, suicide and sexual fluidity, loneliness and belonging, and ethical problem-solving in clinical practice.
Higher education has a responsibility to prepare the next generation of behavioral health professionals while supporting clinicians throughout their careers. The Behavioral Health Institute reflects our Mercy mission by investing in the people providing essential care and strengthening the workforce our communities depend on.
- Deanne H. D’Emilio, JD, President
The Behavioral Health Institute builds on GMercyU’s existing behavioral health education, including its accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Social Work programs and recently launched Trauma Certificate, and advances the University’s broader commitment to workforce development and community health.
Learn more about the Behavioral Health Institute and continuing education opportunities.