Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce

FCBHW NextGen Mentoring Program

Launch your future in behavioral health

Beginning fall 2025, the FCBHW NextGen Mentoring program offers a one-year mentorship experience for rising Florida undergraduate seniors who plan to pursue a clinical graduate degree in Florida.

Selected students will:

  • Be matched with a licensed behavioral health professional mentor
  • Participate in monthly one-on-one mentorship meetings
  • Attend monthly virtual seminars on academic success, graduate school readiness and career development

Each mentee will receive a $5,000 stipend, distributed over two semesters, for meaningful participation.

Mentors will receive either a $1,000 stipend or nine volunteer hours, which may support applications to the Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education (FRAME) program.

Note: Stipends are considered taxable income. FCBHW will cover the cost of taxes for both mentees and mentors; however, recipients are responsible for reporting the stipend on their federal income tax returns.

Mentee Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Be a rising senior or equivalent standing, with an expected graduation date of May 2026
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Be majoring in a behavioral health-related field (such as psychology, social work, criminal justice, behavioral healthcare, aging sciences, sociology, family sciences), or have completed at least nine credit hours of relevant coursework
  • Intend to pursue a clinical behavioral health graduate degree in Florida starting in fall 2026 in one of the following areas:
    • Mental health counseling
    • Marriage and family therapy
    • Clinical social work
    • Applied behavioral analysis
    • Clinical or counseling psychology
    • Psychiatric-mental health nursing
    • Psychiatric physician assistant
    • Psychiatric medicine

Note: For the 2025–26 academic year, this opportunity is open only to undergraduate students at the 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ as part of our pilot launch.

How to Apply

Mentor Applications

Are you a licensed behavioral health professional interested in guiding the next generation? Apply to become a NextGen mentor by July 31.

91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ are currently seeking mentors from the following licensed disciplines:

  • Clinical social workers
  • Mental health counselors
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychiatric nurse practitioners
  • Psychiatric physician assistants
  • Applied behavioral analyst

As a NextGen mentor, you will:

  • Support a Florida undergraduate senior preparing to enter a clinical behavioral health graduate program
  • Commit to one hour per month of mentorship during the academic year (virtual or in-person)
  • Be thoughtfully matched with a mentee based on discipline and location

To apply, by July 31.

Mentee Applications

The application period for mentees closed on May 31, 2025. 91Âé¶¹ÌìÃÀ are currently reviewing submissions and will notify applicants in the coming weeks.

To apply, mentees will need to upload:

  • A letter from your academic advisor confirming:
    • Your academic standing
    • Your major or degree program
    • Your cumulative GPA
    • Your expected graduation term
  • A statement of interest describing:
    • Why you are pursuing a clinical behavioral health profession
    • Your long-term career interests and goals
    • How this mentorship opportunity will support your development