LA County DMH Psychiatric Technician Stipend Program

The purpose of the LAC DMH Stipend Program is to recruit and grow the public mental health workforce with qualified clinical professionals completing their mental health-related degrees.

• Students who are currently participating in their final year of clinical field placement (traineeship, internship, or practicum)
• Students enrolled in an academic program that leads to a Psychiatric Technician degree/certificate
• Students who are in good standing in their academic program
• Students who do not have any existing service obligation with other entities, including other HCAI or county workforce incentive programs that require a post-degree service obligation

Students enrolled in an associate degree or certificate program in Psychiatric Technology from an accredited college or university may apply.

The number of stipends designated for Psychiatric Technicians is 20. The stipend award is $9,250. LA County has the option to amend the number of allocated stipends between disciplines based on the number of qualifying applicants.

Students awarded a stipend will need to commit to one year of full-time, paid employment post-degree in a clinical capacity at either a directly-operated LAC DMH facility or an agency that’s contracted by LAC DMH.

The objectives of the LAC DMH Stipend Program are to:

• Contribute to the public mental health workforce with newly qualified clinical professionals
• Provide a financial incentive to attract well-trained, linguistically and culturally competent students that will serve communities and clients who have been historically underserved due to geographic location and cultural and linguistic barriers
• Recruit students with experience in the LAC DMH mental health delivery system through practicum training
• Recruit students with the linguistic capacity to provide services in one of the threshold languages

Students who can provide services in one or more of these languages are highly encouraged to apply:

• Arabic
• Armenian
• Cambodian
• Cantonese, Mandarin & other Chinese dialects
• Farsi
• Japanese
• Korean
• Russian
• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Thai
• Vietnamese
• American Sign Language (ASL)

To fulfill the goal and objectives of the LAC DMH Stipend Program, students with any of the following are encouraged to apply:

• Interest in post-degree clinical training and practice of mental health care
• Interest in working as a mental health clinician in their communities
• Field training (practicum) in a DMH-operated or contracted agency
• Field training (practicum) in a community setting (non-DMH) that provided experience applicable to public mental health care
• Capacity to provide clinical services in one of LA County’s threshold languages
• Knowledge and training in evidence-based practices
• Experience in field-based practice, such as in schools, homes, and other community sites
• Clinical service to older adults, veterans, immigrants, or the unhoused
• Clinical care to those dealing with trauma, domestic violence, child/elderly abuse, or substance use/abuse
• Personal experience overcoming hardships or emotional/physical challenges
• Personal experience of family members dealing with serious mental health illnesses
• Clinical experience providing in-person care