Government Resources For Counselors

SAMHSA Grant Opportunities

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides several grant opportunities each fiscal year and announces them through Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO). Each NOFO contains all the information you need to apply for a grant. These resources will help you find and apply for the grant that best suits you and your organization.

• FY 2023 NOFO Forecasts | SAMHSA (Grant FY 23 Forecast List)
• SAMHSA Email Updates (list-manage.com) (sign up for Grant Updates)

Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the U.S. Department of Education provide loan forgiveness opportunities for counseling students through a variety of federal programs. Below is an updated list of federal loan forgiveness programs you might find useful:

• Federal Student Loan Debt Relief
• NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program | NHSC (hrsa.gov)
• Clinicians’ Eligibility and Application Requirements for the State Loan Repayment Program | NHSC (hrsa.gov)
• NHSC Loan Repayment Program (hrsa.gov)
• NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program (hrsa.gov)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (studentaid.gov)

Managing Stress Associated with COVID-19

When the public learns of an outbreak of an infectious disease such as COVID-19, they may experience anxiety and show signs of stress. Concerns about transmission from person to person may affect accessibility of social supports and reduce community cohesion. This stress is normal and may be more pronounced in people with loved ones in parts of the world hardest hit by the outbreak.

Healthcare providers, community and religious leaders, and government officials all have a role to play in helping people cope effectively and manage their stress in the current climate of concerns about COVID-19 transmission. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has the potential to increase stress and anxiety, both because of the fear of catching the virus and also because of uncertainty about how the outbreak will affect us socially and economically. Below are practical steps you can take to improve your well-being during the pandemic:

• Managing Health Care Worker Stress
• Managing Your Stress
• Providers Resources

• The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors  gives you data on the occupation (long term job growth outlook “Much faster than average growth”) as does the entry for School and Occupational Counselors  (“Above average growth”)
• The Department of Health and Human Services provides mental health information and insurance information.
• Learn about Health Professional Shortage Areas. Mental health is one of three categories.
• The National Institute of Mental Health’s statistics portal
• The Department of Veterans Affairs supports a National Center for PTSD
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance on mental health parity
• The World Health Organization’s mental health statistics
• The Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent source of information about health policy issues. Three useful Infographics from Kaiser:
  • Medicaid’s Role in Behavioral Health
  • Medicaid’s Role in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
• A break down of the Support Act for Licensed Professional Counselors