Bishop Dena A. Harrison Fellows Program
The goal of the Bishop Dena A. Harrison Fellows Program is for Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) graduates from Seminary of the Southwest to enter disadvantaged populations within the Diocese of Texas designated as underserved in regards to mental health services to offer counseling services as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) intern. In partnership with the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF) of Texas, the Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation aspires to place faithful, imaginative, and highly educated mental health care workers in underserved counties throughout the state of Texas to expand our commitment of service to all people regardless of demographics and with an emphasis on providing for those with the greatest need. With the financial commitment from EHF we plan to build an innovative national model program that will produce exceptionally trained counselors who can begin to serve as soon as they graduate.
Graduates from the MACMHC program who pass the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam, and receive Texas Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC Intern) status will be eligible for the program. Harrison Fellows will intern at the Center’s partner site, Burke, an integrated health and mental health center in East Texas that serves 12 counties, to complete their LPC intern requirement working in an underserved population area. The LPC intern requirement of 3,000 hours (1,500 hour of direct client contact and 1,500 hours of counseling-related duties) must be completed within two years.
Harrison Fellows will receive a salary, benefits, a Licensed Professional Counselor supervisor, liability insurance, and administrative support for two years. Before being accepted into the program, prospects must meet established Center requirements, and have an LPC intern license. The Henderson Wessendorff Center and Burke will provide supervision and support to the Harrison Fellows as they work in these communities. For more information on this program, please contact Dave Scheider, director of the Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center at Seminary of the Southwest. [email protected]
Episcopal Health Foundation news release:”Update: Closing the mental health care gap in East Texas”
