UMass Boston Program Earns State Approval for Community Health Worker Certification in Therapeutic Mentoring
UMass Boston has received approval from the Massachusetts Board of Certification of Community Health Workers for its Community Health Worker certification with a specialization in therapeutic mentoring, creating expanded opportunities for paraprofessionals and frontline staff seeking careers in youth behavioral health and therapeutic mentoring.
The 80-hour, noncredit certificate is delivered fully online through UMass Boston’s Online and Continuing Education division, making it accessible to working adults across the Commonwealth.
Led by Dr. Jean Rhodes, the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, the state-certified training program prepares participants to work as therapeutic mentors with youth under age 21 in Massachusetts’ behavioral health system. Therapeutic mentors function as community health workers on the front lines of care, building trusting relationships with youth and families while coordinating closely with clinical teams.
Over 12 million young people in the United States experience a mental health disorder each year, and the majority cannot access care. Massachusetts has responded by building one of the most advanced community-based behavioral health systems in the country through the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative. Therapeutic mentors are a critical part of that system. They are trained, nonclinical providers who work directly with youth, delivering strengths-based support, safety planning, and systems navigation in homes, schools, and community settings. By investing in community health worker roles such as therapeutic mentoring, the state can expand culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate support to youth who might never make it into a clinician’s office.
“The demand for qualified therapeutic mentors far exceeds the supply. Managed-care organizations and community service agencies across Massachusetts consistently report difficulty recruiting adequately trained staff,” said Rhodes. “UMass Boston’s program was built to close that gap by providing evidence-informed, state-certified training that prepares community members to step into these critical frontline roles.”
Cohorts begin in the fall and spring of each year, with specific start and end dates posted online. Prospective participants can view the current schedule and complete their registration through UMass Boston’s Community Health Worker Training webpage.