UCLA, Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills will receive $110 million to bolster their mental health programs, providing financial assistance and clinical resources to students seeking to fill the gaps of a significant statewide shortage in the field of social work.
On Monday, the universities announced that the Ballmer Group, an investment group owned by Connie and Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers and former CEO of Microsoft, would support an effort to expand social work, youth counseling and mental health programs in underserved neighborhoods, including South and East Los Angeles.
The funding “will change lives across Los Angeles by preparing a new generation of counselors and social workers who reflect and understand the communities they serve,” Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said in a prepared statement.
According to the California Department of Health Care Information and Access, 55 of the state's 58 counties faced shortages of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other roles. The department found that 22 counties had a “severe” shortage of at least 50% fewer mental health professionals than they demanded, while Los Angeles faced a shortfall of between 20% and 35%.
One cause is the price of a master's degree. At Cal State LA, a one-year social work degree costs about $17,500. At UCLA, the master's degree in social welfare, which lasts eight quarter sessions, costs more than $65,000 for California residents without financial aid.
Administrators say the new effort will expand the mental health workforce by training graduates at a lower cost to them and the schools.
“Grants and scholarships will absolutely help” with enrollment and retention, said Heather Lattimer, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Cal State LA.
California State LA
Cal State LA will receive $48 million to add more students to its master's in social work programs and provide more than 1,000 scholarships and grants for future students.
“Our goal is to graduate more than 1,000 mental health professionals in the next five years,” Lattimer said.
Cal State LA graduates are more likely to practice in the Los Angeles community, especially in low-income areas that have less access to mental health workers, said Tasha Willis, director of the master's of social work program.
Nataly Degante and Mayra Vargas, who graduated in 2023, began working as preceptors (professionals who supervise interns or students during clinical training) at organizations in Los Angeles. Both said they believe removing the financial burdens associated with a degree could help revitalize the field.
During her studies, Degante raised two children and Vargas had a full-time job, which made school a difficult balancing act. If additional scholarships were offered during her tenure, Vargas said she believed it would have attracted more students like her to the program.
“People who couldn't afford the program can now get that education,” Vargas said.
CSU Dominguez Hills
CSU Dominguez Hills will use part of its $29 million grant to launch Toros Heal LA, an initiative to increase mental health resources in South Los Angeles.
The grant will expand existing mental health programs in the region and allow the university to partner with surrounding graduate schools and clinics for training and employment opportunities, said Dr. Adriean Mancillas, professor and chair of the counseling program.
“Many mental health professionals, in general, once they are trained, go to more affluent areas to work privately,” Mancillas said. “This gift will help reduce that debt and then foster relationships between students who are trained in that area to then come back and work in that area.”
The majority of the funds will go toward grants and scholarships to support about 700 students. Many students who would have had to work outside of their studies during their studies will be free to focus on internships and clinical placements, Mancillas said. About 75% of the funds will be used for scholarships of up to $18,000 per year per student.
UCLA
When Olivia Hall enrolled at UCLA as a psychology major two years ago, she had no idea where the field would take her.
That was until she enrolled in Dr. Bruce Chorpita's Youth Behavioral Health Intervention course, where she learned about local disparities in mental health care and child psychology.
When she learned that UCLA would use its $33 million grant to provide scholarships and develop a specialization in youth behavioral health, she was pleased to see the emphasis placed on an underserved age group.
“In high school, I looked around at this mental health crisis within my generation,” Hall said.
Chorpita said the scholarship will be divided into three parts: the psychology department, which will supervise the new minor; the school of social welfare; and child-focused fellowships in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
“If you major in psychology, you can major in youth behavioral health and you'll get a ton of specialized courses that are definitely above and beyond what you would get as a regular psychology student,” said Chorpita, a professor of psychiatry, psychology and director of Child FIRST at UCLA, a program focused on children's mental health.
As Hall advances her studies at UCLA and hopes to participate in the youth behavioral health minor, she said anxieties about her future have diminished.
Youth mental health is a race, Hall said. Minor and new training opportunities are “very important to motivate my generation in the field.”
The Ballmer Group is one of several foundations that fund the Los Angeles Times' early childhood education reporting efforts.
