BIRCh Fellows

Made possible through funding from Boston Children’s Hospital, the BIRCh Center's fellowship seeks to increase the recruitment and retention of individuals with marginalized identities in behavioral health training programs.

What Do BIRCh Fellows Receive?

Each cohort of BIRCh Fellows participates in a one-year program coordinated by faculty and staff from UMass Boston and UMass Amherst that includes:

monthly one-on-one meetings with a mentor who is currently working as a behavioral health provider
quarterly seminars with other Fellows and mentors related to collaboratively selected topics
a stipend of $8,000–$10,000 (depending on number of fellows selected) for one year to support living expenses

Learn more about the BIRCh Fellows in this video of an information panel.

Who Can Apply?

Individuals meeting the following qualifications are welcome to apply to be a BIRCh Fellow:

Identifying as any of the following: 1) belonging to a marginalized group or diverse background (race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status), 2) first generation in their family to pursue postsecondary education, or 3) bilingual or multilingual.
Enrolled in a behavioral health graduate licensing/certification program (master's educational specialist, or doctoral level) in social work, school counseling, mental health counseling, school psychology, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, or other related behavioral health fields. The training program is not required to focus on youth; however, you must be committed to serving youth after graduation.