BHECN-ARPA News

News regarding the BHECN-ARPA Awards Project -- February 2025

This month's ARPA awardee profile features Inspirit Counseling of Chadron. Inspirit's Mandy Price, pictured right, tells us more about her team's project, which received support in the Funding for Supervision of Provisionally Licensed Providers category.

Tell us about your project and what made you want to pursue it.

Our project helps us bring on and supervise more provisionally licensed mental health practitioners to provide services in rural Nebraska. What made me pursue it is my long-standing commitment to expanding behavioral health services in the Panhandle, as we are underserved and there is a significant need.

What do you find most exciting about the project?

The most exciting part of the project is meeting new supervisees and working with them to achieve their goals while also helping meet the needs of my community.

What do you see as the biggest barrier to success for the project?

The biggest barrier to the project is that it will eventually end. There has been an increase in behavioral health needs in this area, so it will be difficult to maintain therapist supervision without the additional funding.

What learnings have you gleaned from the project so far?

The biggest takeaway is seeing how the community truly benefits from having more clinicians. This project has also helped me learn how to work with a diverse array of counselors within an equally diverse community.

Learn more about Inspirit Counseling here.

Four new educational modules in the Project PEACE (Psychiatric E-modules Advancing Clinician Education) series have been uploaded to the BHECN website and are currently available as free continuing education credits.

Project PEACE is a series of web-based modules designed to equip Nebraska’s primary care providers with essential skills and knowledge to effectively address patient behavioral health concerns.

BHECN developed the modules in recognition of the fact that behavioral health care needs in Nebraska remain at a critical level, and this burden, particularly in rural areas, falls heavily on primary care providers.

While the modules are designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates and nurses, the content is available for any provider to access.

The new modules address anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, and psychiatric emergencies.

Learn more about Project PEACE and access the new modules here!

Do you know high school students interested in a career in the counseling or behavioral health field?

They may be great candidates for the 2025 Frontier Area Rural Mental-Health Camp And Mentorship Program – also known as F.A.R.M C.A.M.P.

This year’s camp will be held June 23rd through June 27th at Chadron State College.

Learn more about F.A.R.M C.A.M.P, including how to apply, here.

A group of Creighton University undergraduate health administration students seeks providers to participate in a survey for a study regarding provider satisfaction with telebehavioral health delivery of care.

The survey is completely confidential and should take less than five minutes to complete.

Complete the survey here.

Licensed mental health providers are also sought to participate in a research study examining experiences with rural telebehavioral health services. Provider insights could help provide a better understanding of the intricacies of telebehavioral health in rural areas.

Learn more about the study here.

HCAN hosting Friday webinar on providing telebehavioral health

Register to attend the webinar!

Heartland Counseling Service's ARPA project that placed therapists in three rural Nebraska school districts was recently featured in multiple outlets including the North Platte Post, Chadron radio station KCSR, and UNMC Today.