Major grant to help counsel underserved populations

Detroit Mercy students and the community both benefit from a federal grant.
Detroit Mercy students and the community both benefit from a federal grant.

Counseling students at University of Detroit Mercy will soon have new opportunities to learn and work in medically underserved communities, thanks to a nearly $1 million grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. 

The four-year grant, which totals $931,358, will allow the Counseling program to implement the Counseling Underserved Populations (CUSP) Project, which offers specialized, enhanced training to master’s level counseling students with an emphasis on integrated health, trauma, poverty and court-involvement.

The grant period, which began Sept. 30, starts as the University’s Working with At Risk Youth (WARY) Fellowship program draws to a close. WARY, also funded by a three-year HRSA grant, was designed to specifically train master’s level counselors to work with high-risk adolescents; CUSP will expand this initiative by emphasizing the clinical treatment of high-risk individuals of all ages.

“This most recent funding further cements Detroit Mercy’s pivotal role as an essential partner in nationwide efforts to effectively prepare highly-skilled clinicians to work with those in greatest need,” said Nancy Calleja, Ph.D., LPC, program director and chair of Detroit Mercy’s Counseling program and the grant’s principal investigator. “With Detroit and southeastern Michigan as a central focus for treatment delivery, the positive regional impact will only continue to grow,” she added. 

As an institution rooted in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, Detroit Mercy has long focused on serving vulnerable individuals, particularly within Wayne County and the city of Detroit.

This is the second HRSA grant the University has received in the last two months. The first, totaling $979,533, will be used to expand the mental health services available at the University’s McAuley Health Center, on Detroit’s east side. 

2 Comments

  1. Please forward any additional information related to the Mental health services located on city’s eastside. I’m a retired mentall health professional and former UDM basketball alumni/player My published book entitled “Black and White like You and Me” talks about my bout w/depression in my life. Would very much like to see/visit the east-side office/site.

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