New Hanover County provides tuition assistance to mental health students

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — New Hanover County wants to boost the number of people entering jobs associated with mental health by providing tuition assistance.  

The New Hanover County Fellows Program is funded by the National Opioid Settlement and seeks to meet a rising demand in the mental health field.  

Prospective Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners can receive up to $36,000 in tuition assistance, while students pursuing careers in mental health are eligible for up to $14,000 in aid. 

Friday, students in the midst of the program met with local mental health providers to explore job opportunities, with some graduating later this year.

Students also received free professional headshots to help them with their career development. 

Jarett Gattison with The Healing Place said the program is greatly needed as the field sees rising demand.  

“It’s a huge need and I think it’s a big investment that needs to happen, I mean unfortunately it’s a growing field. We’re seeing a lot of mental health as well as substance abuse,” Gattison said. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, mental health related occupations are projected to grow by 12% in the next 10 years. That’s three times the rate of all other occupations. 

Damien Lee is one of the students receiving tuition assistance from the program. He previously worked for ten years at Coastal Horizons—a counseling and mental health provider in Wilmington.  

Lee is now working towards his master’s in social work at UNC Chapel Hill to explore new opportunities in the field. 

“I realized that there was a ceiling to what I could so and the type of change I wanted to implement into these systems of care,” Lee said. 

Gattison said working in the mental health field isn’t easy—but that it’s the people make it worth it. 

“It’s a passion driven career, and that’s going to carry you a lot,” he said. 

Lee couldn’t agree more.  

“You’re not going to get rich of this; but intrinsically it is extremely rewarding for one’s spirit and one’s mind in know that you’re helping,” Lee added. 

For those interested in the New Hanover County Fellows Program, applications opened March 14 and end on June 30.