WET Program

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To address California’s public mental health workforce challenges, the Mental Health Services Act provides a component for Workforce Education and Training (WET) programs. CalMHSA assists counties with workforce recruitment and retention by acting as the passthrough agency for WET funds.

The 2020-25 WET Five-Year Plan emphasizes supporting public mental health services that provide care at the lowest level of intensity and promote the use of non-licensed personnel throughout the delivery system. CalMHSA provides application support, assists with program implementation and manages contracts for the following WET programs:

• Educational loan repayment assistance to public mental health system professionals identified at the local level as serving in high-need positions
• Undergraduate scholarships to students in exchange for service learning received in a public mental health system agency. The funding level may depend on the student’s academic aspirations (including certificate, associate degree, and bachelor’s degree), pre-placement training and education received, lived experience, and/or other possible factors. This component is especially valuable to expanding the knowledge and skills of non-licensed personnel through training and education opportunities.
• Post graduate stipends for post-graduate clinical masters and doctoral education service performed in a local public mental health system agency. Students are selected in advance of their final year of education and receive funds in exchange for a 12-month service commitment.