The Behavioral Health Education, Retention, and Expansion Network of Nevada (BeHERE NV) is a workforce development initiative to increase the number of providers of behavioral health care in Nevada. In 2023, the Nevada Legislature unanimously passed Assembly Bill 37 to create a statewide behavioral health workforce development center within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). In September 2023, the NSHE Board of Regents designated the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) to serve as the administrative hub for BeHERE NV and to build connections across the state. | |  | |
01 | New Feature: Clinical Supervision
02 | Rural Outreach Events
03 | BeHERE Scholar of the Month
04 | Congratulations! Reed High School HSS CTE Students win Silver in National Contest
05 | Special Feature: A summary of our inaugural summer camp!
06 | Stay up to date with us
We have so much to share! Be sure to click on "View Entire Message" to see all of this month's content.
| | Expanding the Clinical Supervision Workforce: CBHC & BeHERE Make Strides | | |
Overview
The Community Behavioral Health Collaborative (CBHC), based at the University of Nevada, Reno, partnered with BeHERE NV to launch a successful clinical supervision training initiative this spring. Sixteen licensed counselors from across the state completed CAS 783: Supervision for Counseling Professionals at UNR, positioning them to become state-approved supervisors for CPC, MFT, and LCADC interns.
This exciting milestone could soon add 16 new clinical supervisors to Nevada’s behavioral health workforce - opening the door to more internship placements, stronger supervision access, and expanded career pathways for emerging counselors. With participants from both urban and rural communities, the program supports a truly statewide impact.
Led by Drs. Megan Weller and Jennifer Ross, the course included a practicum, mentorship, and CEUs in ethics and cultural competence. The course returns in fall 2025 in an accessible online format.
For enrollment info, contact:
Dr. Megan Weller meganweller@unr.edu.
| | |
Meet A New Supervisor...
Mery Mares is a bilingual integrative psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and MFT supervisor with a lifelong passion for helping others heal. Her primary specialty is supporting individuals through grief and loss, a focus shaped by her own personal losses and deepened through years of compassionate clinical work.
With a background as a school teacher, yoga instructor, and school counselor, Mery integrates somatic experiencing, EMDR, mindfulness, meditation, and creative therapies. Influenced by her Ecuadorian and Mexican-American heritage and the legacy of her great-grandmother, a curandera, her approach honors the connection between mind, body, and spirit.
Her work is grounded in psycho-spirituality, integrative mental health, culturally responsive care, and a strong foundation in psychoeducation and research-based practices. Mery provides clinical supervision through the UNR Community Behavioral Health Collaborative and is currently welcoming both CPC and MFT interns into private practice supervision. She offers services in English and Spanish.
Contact Information:
775-502-6100
Mery@yellowmariposawellness.com
www.yellowmariposawellness.com
| | |
Winnie’s Summer Adventures in the Community!
Winnie has had an exciting summer attending outreach events across northern Nevada! Dr. Sarah Hartzell represented BeHERE NV at Kids' Day at the Park events in Dayton, Fernley, and Silver Springs, as well as the Reno-Sparks Tribal Health Fair. These events were incredible opportunities to connect with community members, share information about behavioral health and career pathways, and collaborate with so many inspiring local partners.
| |
BeHERE Scholar of the Month
Carina Perez
UNR Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
| |
Meet this month’s BeHERE Scholar: Carina Perez, a passionate student in the University of Nevada Reno’s Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling Program. Carina is on the MFT track and deeply committed to making a difference in the mental health field, especially within the Hispanic community. Inspired by a strong desire to break the stigma around mental health, she focuses on working with families and young children to promote healing and awareness. In addition to her graduate studies, Carina is a CADC-I, dedicated to helping at-risk adolescents overcome substance use and reduce harmful labeling, empowering them on their journey toward sobriety and recovery.
Receiving the BeHERE scholarship has been a transformative experience for Carina. She shared that it has provided her with a profound peace of mind, freeing her from financial worries and allowing her to fully engage in her educational and professional growth. This opportunity has given her the courage and encouragement to continue pursuing her dreams and inspired her to give back to her community in meaningful ways. Carina also gives a heartfelt shout-out to her mentor, Grettel Beltran, LMFT, who has played an essential role in supporting and uplifting her throughout her journey.
When Carina discovered she had received the scholarship, she was filled with gratitude, joy, and relief — she even refreshed her email to make sure the news was real! Outside of her academic and professional commitments, Carina’s heart belongs to her beautiful daughter, who is her pride and joy. They love exploring new foods and desserts together, pampering themselves with nail and skincare routines, and building a strong, loving bond. For Carina, family time is a powerful reminder of what truly matters, helping her slow down and appreciate life’s simple, meaningful moments.
| |
Reed High School Human & Social Services CTE
National Competition Winners!
| | |
Our Inaugural Behavioral Health Careers
Summer Camp ... a Success!
| | by: Jill Manit, Ph.D., MSW (aka "Camp Coordinator") | | |
Behavioral Health
Workforce
Expansion
Learning
Lab
| | |
We are excited to share the success of the 2025 BeHERE, BeWELL Camp! Over the course of 4 days, 16 high school students explored behavioral health careers, strengthened their college readiness, and built meaningful connections with each other.
This was a fully immersive overnight camp, with campers staying in the Tonopah residence halls at UNLV, eating at the dining commons, and exploring the campus. This residential experience gave them a true taste of college life and allowed for deep community building throughout the week.
We kept the campers busy with workshops, activities, guest speakers, and some fun! See below for a few highlights. Planning has already started for 2026 BeWELL Camp - more details to come!
| | | College & Career Exploration: Visits to the library, a campus scavenger hunt, and UNLV Early Outreach's college readiness workshops gave campers an authentic window into college life while staying in the dorms, swimming at the pool, and eating at the dining hall helped them imagine themselves as future college students. | | | |
Workshops:
Campers participated in workshops focused on
- Mental health literacy
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Foundational counseling skills
- Wellness
- Communication
These sessions helped campers build foundational knowledge and feel more prepared for college and future careers in behavioral health.
| | | Final Event: Career Showcase | | The Career Showcase was an opportunity for campers to teach others about a behavioral health career. Working in small groups, campers were assigned a specific behavioral health career and created a display board to share key information they found while conducting research. During our final simulated career fair, campers presented their displays and spoke to guests as if they were professionals in the field. | | Special thank you to Dr. Alison Netski, Interim Dean of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, for attending the showcase and interacting with our campers! | |
We did not do this on our own:
Special "Shout Outs"
| |
Learning at the CICFC: Real-World Counseling in Action
Campers had an unforgettable opportunity to visit the UNLV Community Counseling & Family Center (CICFC), where they experienced real-world counseling practices up close.
Over 10 graduate students from the UNLV Couple & Family Counseling program generously volunteered their time to lead a simulated family therapy session, allowing campers to observe and analyze how therapists work with families in a supportive environment. They also demonstrated how play therapy is used with children to help them express emotions, build trust, and develop coping skills. They concluded the experience with open Q&A time with our campers!
A special thank you to Clinic Director Dawn Moore for coordinating this experience and to all the graduate students for sharing their expertise and creating such an engaging learning environment.
| "Interviewing the student graduates at the clinic felt very personal and relatable and was one of the most inspiring parts of the camp. They were able to really understand our thoughts and portray their journeys while including our worries and questions within them to help answer them.” — Camper | | | |
A Day at the “Beach”: Centering Wellness
During our special “indoor day at the beach,” campers focused on wellness, self-care, and creative expression.
Dr. Anne Weisman, Associate Professor and Director of Well-Being & Integrative Medicine at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, led an engaging workshop on self-care, calming strategies, and wellness.
Alysha Press from the UNLV Lied Library offered campers a library tour and a "Junk Journaling" workshop, using repurposed materials to explore mindfulness and self-expression.
We continued with "Beach Ball Small Talk," an interactive session with behavioral health professionals Nicole McDonagh, Bridget Bycina, and Cindy Guerrero, who shared their experiences, answered questions, and inspired campers to think about future career possibilities.
Our day wrapped up with a trip to the pool!!
| |
| We were fortunate to have Dillon Brouwer (UNLV Communications and Rebel Debate) volunteer his time to empower our campers with an energizing workshop on essential communication tools and confidence-building activities. | | | |
Over 20 UNLV graduate students from various behavioral health programs volunteered throughout the camp.
They helped with activities, joined campers for meals, spoke on panels, and jumped in wherever needed. The graduate students genuine mentorship and support turned out to be one of the most talked about features amongst the campers!
| | | A special thank you to Dr. Mallory Constantine (UNLV Psychology), who spoke to campers about the new bachelor’s degree in Children’s Mental Health Psychology. Campers loved hearing her perspective as both a UNLV alum and a faculty member. | |
|
Jake Leifheit, Britany Hernandez, Tanna Cripps, & Devan Harris at the Neon Museum with our campers!
We extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible team at UNLV Early Outreach, led by Devan Harris.
Thank you for being such an essential part of our camp family!
| |
Thank You
Simply put, our camp would not have been possible without UNLV Early Outreach. Their expertise in working with young people, attention to detail, and encouragement were invaluable to our success. We are especially grateful for the time they dedicated to preparing with us, guiding both the design and the logistics of the camp experience.
The team not only helped us shape a welcoming and inspiring environment, but also generously staffed significant portions of the camp and provided impactful college readiness workshops that empowered campers to envision their futures.
| | | | Preliminary Evaluation Results | | We employed several evaluation strategies to capture the outcomes of our camp. While we are still analyzing our findings, we wanted to share these preliminary results: | | Participants reported a significant increase in their familiarity with behavioral health careers and related education requirements after attending camp (p = .003), with a large effect size (r = .752), demonstrating that the camp effectively enhanced students’ understanding of these career pathways. | | Participants showed a significant increase in their familiarity with specific behavioral health careers after attending camp (p = .002), with a large effect size (r = .758), indicating that the camp was highly effective in expanding students’ career awareness. Interestingly, campers came in already relatively familiar with fields like psychology and psychiatry, they were less aware of other behavioral health disciplines. The camp helped broaden their exposure to a wider range of career options. | | Stay up-to-date on our latest news by subscribing to our newsletter! Please share it with your network. We'll be posting monthly progress updates and more about BeHERE NV. You can also find past editions in the BeHERE NV newsletter section of our website. | | | | Funding for BeHERE NV was made possible by Assembly Bill 37 (2023, 82nd Nevada Legislative Session) and the Nevada System of Higher Education | | | | |
