When Maurice decided to pursue a career in behavioral health, he knew he wanted to help people navigate the same challenges he had seen many others face. However, training requirements, education costs, and balancing work with learning can create significant barriers to entering the field.
Today, Maurice is building his career as a Substance Use Disorder Professional through King County’s behavioral health apprenticeship program, gaining paid, hands-on experience while completing the education and training needed to advance in the profession. His journey highlights how strategic workforce investments are opening doors for more people to get a job in the behavioral health field at a time when behavioral health agencies across King County continue to face workforce shortages.
Watch Maurice share his experience in: Building Better Clinicians: The Power of Mentorship & Apprenticeship in King County
Maurice’s story is one example of how the Crisis Care Centers (CCC) Levy is helping strengthen King County’s behavioral health workforce. Voter-approved levy funding is supporting programs that recruit, train, retain, and advance behavioral health professionals, creating a workforce that is better equipped to meet the growing needs of communities across King County.
Spotlight on Workforce Programs
Expanding Apprenticeships
Today, 21 apprentices are participating in the Healthcare Training Fund’s registered apprenticeship program that combines classroom instruction with paid on-the-job learning. Apprenticeships are available in several high-demand behavioral health occupations, including:
- Behavioral Health Technician
- Peer Support Specialist
- Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP)
For employers, apprenticeships help develop and retain skilled workers. For participants like Maurice, as well as Jamal with For the Culture Counseling Services and Cedric at Sea Mar, they provide an accessible way to enter or advance in this rewarding career.
This program is open to King County behavioral health agencies—please consider joining!
Building Career Pathways
Funding for Career Pathways focuses on increasing diversity and removing barriers for people entering or advancing in behavioral health careers.
In 2024–2025, 35 agencies received $8.2 million to support internships, clinical supervision, professional development, and staff wellbeing. Key outcomes include:
- 100% of agencies improved staff retention
- 88% increased workforce representation
- 88% improved staff wellbeing
- 75% strengthened recruitment efforts
- 3,686 staff benefited
- 230 staff earned a professional license
These results show that targeted, flexible investments help stabilize and strengthen the workforce.
Internship Programs
Across 24 local agencies, 436 interns participated in internship programs supported by stipends, training, and clinical supervision. Many agencies hosted bilingual interns, helping expand culturally responsive care, available in multiple languages.
Clinical Supervision
Clinical supervision is essential for behavioral health providers to earn required credentials. Levy funding allowed:
- 30 agencies to expand supervision capacity
- 1,377 staff to receive supervised hours
This directly improves recruitment, retention, and advancement of behavioral health staff.
Wellness Supports
To help keep staff in the field, 27 agencies offered wellness stipends, retreats, trainings, and other supports. Staff reported better work-life balance, lower stress, and stronger overall wellbeing.
Y + Heritage Master’s in Mental Health Counseling
This free master’s degree program for community behavioral health clinicians from underrepresented communities removes the financial and time barriers that often prevent staff from pursuing graduate education.
- 29 staff have completed their degrees
- 48 more are currently enrolled
Check out this video about the Y+ Heritage Masters program and hear from graduates:
Looking Ahead
Through apprenticeships, educational opportunities, supervision, internships, and wellness programs, the CCC Levy is helping build a stronger, more diverse, and more resilient behavioral health workforce in King County.
King County will sustain these critical workforce investments through 2026, with new opportunities for multi-year funding starting in 2027. The County will keep refining these investments based on the needs of local behavioral health agencies and impact data. As the behavioral health system continues to evolve, King County remains committed to growing the workforce needed to ensure residents can access high-quality care when they need it most.