Jewish Family Services program expands mental health access

20 fellows seeking LCSW licensure serve more than 1,300 high-need clients

“When you call asking for mental health assistance, the last thing you want to hear is that you can’t be seen right now,” says Wendell Covell, deputy director of programs at Jewish Family Services Delaware.

A shortage of providers has created a national “mental health crisis,” according to a 2023 report by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Nationwide, the report found, nearly six in 10 psychologists in private practice are not accepting new patients.

Even in private mental health practices that are accepting new patients, Covell says the wait can be 12 weeks or longer.

The JFS Mental Health Fellows program, funded by a $3.5 million Congressional grant in 2022, has helped reduce waiting times by putting 20 new mental health professionals into the field while accelerating their track to certification as licensed clinical social workers. The licensing allows therapists to make diagnoses and provide therapy without supervision.

By the time funding ran out in September, nine of the 20 fellows had received their licensure and the group had provided therapy to more than 1,300 individuals, according to Becca McAdams, JFS Delaware’s clinical supervisor for community-based programs.

Much of that therapy was directed toward individuals in high-need groups through 30 community partnerships and provided at no cost to the clients. In Wilmington alone, examples include single women and families in emergency shelter and transitional housing at YWCA Delaware, youths aging out of foster care in the LifeLines program at the West End Neighborhood House and sexual abuse survivors at Friendship House.

Fellows put in 40-hour weeks, either at JFS Delaware or at one of the partnering agencies treating issues like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and a range of food, personality and behavioral disorders, Covell said.

Lisa Forever, chief housing officer at YWCA Delaware, said many of the YWCA clients who met with the JFS fellows reported reduced anxiety, improved self-care and a better understanding of the traumas they were experiencing. In addition, she said, the fellows led group therapy sessions and their suggestions led the YWCA to set up programs in gardening, yoga, arts and crafts and crocheting that have enabled the women to enrich their lives.

“It’s awesome. JFS provided services at no cost to our clients, and the fellows do more than the hours that they’re here for,” Forever said.

Fellow Laura Dickol, who received her LCSW certification in October, said she “meandered” into social work after working in the federal government and law enforcement on programs related to missing and exploited children and also spending time as an emergency medical technician. She was drawn to social work by a desire to support individuals in the groups she served in her earlier careers.

During the fellowship, “I did a little bit of everything,” she said, mentioning outpatient behavioral health and meeting with teens being held at the Ferris School. She also learned techniques for working with individuals, groups, couples, families and children. Most of her work has been with the JFS COMPASS program. (COMPASS stands for Caring for Older adults with Memory Problems And their Support Systems.) In this role, she meets not only with individuals with dementia but also with the caregivers, including spouses, siblings and adult children.

JFS Delaware not only provided fellows with the clinical supervision needed for licensure, but also training, both on-site and in conference settings, and paid for the texts and supplies needed to prepare for the LCSW exam.

“It’s almost unheard of to receive such training and supervision,” Dickol said, and being part of a 20-person peer group was another benefit.

Through the fellowship program, JFS Delaware has pretty much wiped out its waiting list for mental health services while creating a pipeline for new treatment professionals in the state, Covell said.

With the expiration of the grant, it will be harder for JFS Delaware to offer as much no-cost care and its outreach into the community will be somewhat limited, he said. The organization is encouraging prospective clients to learn whether their insurance plans include mental health coverage and it is continually seeking grant opportunities to keep its costs low, he added.

In addition, Covell said, some of the community partners in the fellowship program are including requests for mental health counseling through JFS Delaware in the proposals they write for workforce development grants.

More information on JFS Delaware mental health services and the fellowship program, including a podcast, is available at jfsdelaware.org

Contact: Madison Warfel, Marketing & Communications Specialist, [email protected]