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To qualify for the stipend, applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a graduate program leading to a clinical degree (MSW, MFT, Ph.D./Psy.D., or PMHNP).
• Be in their final year of clinical field placement.
• Commit to one year of full-time, paid employment in a clinical capacity at a LAC DMH directly-operated facility or a contracted agency.

• Master’s degree from an accredited School of Social Work (MSW)
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in marriage, family and child counseling, marital and family therapy, psychology, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, or counseling with an emphasis in either marriage, family, and child counseling or marriage and family therapy (MFT)
• Doctorate from an accredited college or university in psychology, educational psychology, education with the field of specialization in counseling psychology, or in a discipline deemed equivalent by the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Psychology (Ph.D./Psy.D.)
• Approved Master’s level Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner’s Program issued by an accredited college or university (PNP)

Each year 144 graduate students enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program in the following disciplines will be awarded a stipend of $18,500. The number of stipends designated to each discipline is as follows: MSW (60 stipends), MFT (60 stipends), Ph.D./Psy.D. (20 stipends), PNP (4 stipends). LA County has the option to amend the number of allocated stipends between disciplines based on the number of qualifying applicants.

• Amount: $18,500
• Duration: One-time award
• Employment Obligation: 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. Click to search for directly-run or contracted agencies:

Announcement - LA County DMH Psychiatric Technician Student Stipends: The  deadline has been extended to May 22, 2025, giving applicants additional time to complete and submit their materials.

Application Period: December 18, 2024 – February 12, 2025

Application Steps:

1. Prepare Application Materials: Gather all necessary documents, including transcripts and proof of field placement.
2. Complete Application: Access the online application portal during the application period. Note that the application must be completed in one sitting.
3. Submit Application: Ensure all sections are completed and submit before the deadline. Late applications will not be processed.​

Scoring and Selection:

• Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee of mental health professionals.
• Selection is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative scores.
• Applicants will be notified via email regarding the status of their application.

24-25 SAMPLE APPLICATION

3-Part Application Process Outline: 

If you are notified during the week of March 10, 2025, that your application was selected, including alternates, you will receive a Zoom invitation to attend one of two scheduled Stipend Orientations: 

• Thursday, April 3, 2025, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
• Friday, April 4, 2025, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
• Doctorate of Psychology Students ONLY are to attend orientation on: Friday, April 4, 2025, 1:30 to 2:30 PM

The Stipend Orientation will provide information on the following:

• The Stipend Employment Contract, which students will need to sign and submit
• Students’ obligation to secure full-time employment in an LAC DMH directly-operated facility or in a contracted mental health agency
• Guidance on how to search for qualifying employment
• The issuance of the stipend funds and required forms for stipend disbursement
• Other required documentation, including official transcript, employment verification letter, employment completion letter
• Q & A

Note: Only those who attend the orientation will receive the Stipend Employment Contract and other documents required to continue their participation in the program and to receive the stipend.

Hosts:
José Luis Flores, M.A. jlflores@pgu.edu
Michele Shepherd, M.A. mshepherd@sfvcmhc.org

Needed languages:
American Sign Language, Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and additional Chinese dialects

The 2019–2020 Qualifying Schools for the LA County DMH MFT Stipend Program were accredited MFT programs approved by the Greater Los Angeles MFT Consortium. These institutions partnered with LA County DMH to prepare students for clinical roles in public mental health settings.

Schools:

The stipends are awarded by the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) to grow its clinical workforce, so post-graduate employment needs to be at an agency affiliated with DMH.

Full-time employment is determined by the agency/employer. Workdays and work hours are, of course, also determined by the agency/employer

The goal of the county’s stipend program is to augment its pre-licensed clinical workforce ultimately increasing its licensed professional staff. Any temporary legal residence or employment restrictions does not promote the goal of the county’s stipend program.

Residence in LA County or attendance at a school located in LA County is not required. However, if awarded a stipend you will need to secure qualifying employment at an agency in LA County that is affiliated with DMH.

Although an objective of the county’s stipend program is to address the need for behavioral health care in the primary language of its consumers, capacity to provide services in a language other than English is only one of the qualifications that promote the goal of the county’s stipend program.

If you are not able to complete one-year, 12 months of qualifying employment, you will need to return the stipend amount of $18,500.

The full amount of $18,500 will be directly deposited to student’s bank account. Educational stipends, such as the ones awarded by the county, are tax-exempt if used for educational costs. The stipend amount will not be reported as income to the government.

Recipients of the LA County stipends are required to fulfill one year (12 months) of employment at an agency affiliated with the county’s Department of Mental Health. If you are receiving another stipend/scholarship that also requires post-degree employment or service obligation, you are not eligible for the LA County stipends. If you receive a stipend/scholarship from your school or county that requires clinical training in their county but no post-degree obligation, you may be eligible and are encouraged to apply to the LA County stipend program.