TDMHSAS Reopens Application Portal for Behavioral Health Scholarship Program
New state funding supplemented by opioid settlement funds
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) is accepting new applications for its successful, multi-million dollar behavioral health scholarship program.
The Pathways Behavioral Health Scholarship program provides up to $30,000 over a two-year period (up to $15,000 per academic year) for students to pursue a master’s degree in a field related to behavioral health. In return for the scholarship support, the recipient commits to work for a community-based agency that contracts with the department for the same amount of time they were on scholarship. The program is designed to increase the number of professionals in Tennessee and address workforce shortages among in-demand careers including counseling, psychiatric nursing, social work, psychology, and more.
In total, the state of Tennessee has invested more than $10.3 million in this scholarship program over two years. The scholarship program debuted in March 2024 with $3 million in state funding, and the initial response from applicants surpassed expectations. State leaders added another $900,000 in funding that summer. For the new state fiscal year, Governor Bill Lee budgeted and the Tennessee General Assembly appropriated a second round of scholarship funding of more than $4.4 million. Also, for this second round of applications, the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council is contributing $2 million to the scholarship fund.
“We’ve heard so many stories from scholarship recipients who have told us this support has enabled them to pursue their dream careers. Our community behavioral health providers tell us the graduates from this scholarship program are already having an impact on their workforce challenges,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. “We’re so grateful to Governor Lee and the General Assembly for seeing this need and investing in the next generation of women and men who will go on to change countless lives in our state.”
“The Opioid Abatement Council is beyond excited to support this scholarship program. Our work is focused on addressing the generational impacts of the opioid crisis on our state, and what better way to do that than to support the education of the next generation of professionals in the behavioral health field,” said Dr. Steve Loyd, TN Opioid Abatement Council Chair.
TDMHSAS is continuing to partner with the Tennessee Association of Alcohol Drug and other Addiction Services (TAADAS) and the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations (TAMHO) to administer the scholarship and ensure graduates meet their commitment for public service.