Rooted in Guttman Community College’s commitment to equity, opportunity, and upward mobility, the Behavioral Health Career Pathways Program is a tuition-free training opportunity that equips emerging professionals with the skills, confidence, and credentials needed to advance in behavioral health and related fields. Through accessible hybrid and online learning options, participants strengthen their professional capacity, deepen their ability to serve individuals and communities effectively, and gain practical tools and strategies to sustain their well-being while working in high-stress environments
This program is made possible through the generous support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Trinity Church, and the Summerfield Foundation.
Program Focus
The curriculum emphasizes culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices as guiding principles for effective, equitable care. It combines experiential, work-based learning with holistic support to prepare a workforce ready to promote healing, resilience, and equity across New York City.
Throughout the program, participants develop:
- Reflective practice, self-awareness, and resilience
- Ethical decision-making, professional integrity, and strong boundaries
- Collaboration, communication, and leadership across multidisciplinary teams
- Confidence in navigating career pathways and healthcare systems
- Case management skills and proficiency with technology and data tools
- A commitment to lifelong learning and continued professional development
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the Behavioral Health Career Pathways Program, participants will be able to:
- Apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-based practices to support individuals and communities with diverse behavioral health needs
- Advocate for equitable, client-driven care and communicate effectively with supervisors, clinicians, and management to address barriers and influence positive change
- Engage in reflective practice to evaluate what is and isn’t working, seek feedback, and adapt approaches to strengthen professional effectiveness and team relationships
- Use case management skills to assess needs, connect clients to resources, coordinate care, and track outcomes through accurate documentation and data tools
- Model professionalism, ethical integrity, and leadership, contributing to supportive team environments and mentoring newer frontline staff
Program Requirements
To successfully complete the Behavioral Health Career Pathways Program and receive a certificate of completion, students must attend at least 7 of 8 sessions for each class in which they are enrolled, actively participate in coursework, and successfully submit a capstone project. To better support working adults, students may choose to enroll in one or more classes per cohort based on their professional goals and availability. While class combinations may vary by cohort, we strongly encourage all participants to enroll in Trauma-Informed Care, as it provides the foundational framework that supports success across all other program courses.
The program reserves the right to adjust which classes are offered for each cohort.
See the course descriptions below for more details on the classes offered.
Truma-Informed Care
Explores how stress and trauma impact individuals and equips students with strategies to create safe, supportive environments while maintaining their own well-being. This foundational course provides essential frameworks that strengthen practice across all behavioral health and human service settings.
Motivational Interviewing
Builds practical communication skills to support behavioral change using techniques such as open-ended questions, reflective listening, and affirmations. Students learn evidence-based strategies that support meaningful client conversations and more effective behavior change.
Reflective Practice
Strengthens reflective practice as a professional skill through regular journaling, supporting thoughtful decision-making, ethical practice, and ongoing professional growth. This course helps students build self-awareness and resilience as emerging behavioral health professionals.
Professional Foundations with AI Integration
Strengthens essential workplace skills such as communication, time management, conflict resolution, and professional boundaries while introducing practical AI tools for documentation, organization, and professional correspondence. The course prepares students to navigate modern behavioral health workplaces with greater confidence, efficiency, and technological fluency.
Leadership Development
Develops critical thinking, supervisory skills, coaching strategies, and performance tracking within team-based environments. Students strengthen leadership, collaboration, and advocacy skills needed to support teams, communicate effectively, and navigate professional growth in behavioral health and related settings.
Data Operations
Introduces essential Excel skills for managing, analyzing, and presenting behavioral health data through practical, hands-on exercises. Students build foundational data literacy that supports informed decision-making, program effectiveness, and professional success across behavioral health environments.
Case Management
Prepares students to support clients through the full case management process, with a focus on assessment, care planning, advocacy, and connecting clients to services using a trauma-informed, client-centered approach. Students develop practical skills that support effective service coordination across diverse community settings.
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Partner With Us
We’re always looking to collaborate with organizations committed to strengthening New York City’s behavioral health workforce. Partnering with us gives your staff the tools, knowledge, and support to deliver high-quality care while advancing their careers. Together we can meet evolving workforce needs and create meaningful, lasting impact:
- Co-Design Programming: Collaborate with us to tailor training that meets your specific workforce and service needs.
- Empower Your Workforce: Equip your staff with skills that align with your organization’s goals and evolving needs.
- Increase Employee Engagement: Boost career growth and job satisfaction through targeted skill development.
- Invest in Growth and Retention: Support career advancement to reduce turnover and build long-term organizational strength.
- Enhance Service Quality: Integrate trauma-informed, evidence-based practices to improve client outcomes.
- Strengthen Team Collaboration: Build capacity for coordinated care and effective communication across roles.
To learn more about partnership opportunities, contact us at workforce@guttman.cuny.edu or 646-313-8259.
Our Partners
Guttman's Workforce Advisory Group
Brings together organizations rooted in direct service, clinical care, and community advocacy to strengthen New York City’s behavioral health workforce. Together, the group identifies real gaps in staffing and skills, particularly for entry-level workers seeking to grow into mid-level roles. By co-designing training pathways and defining the core skills and competencies frontline workers need to advance, the group is building career ladders shaped by real-world work environments and accessible to people with varied backgrounds and lived experience.
This work also directly addresses the needs of employers searching for qualified, committed behavioral health staff. The goal is to create a workforce that reflects the city’s diverse communities and is equipped, supported, and ready to meet the city’s pressing behavioral health challenges.
Henry Street Settlement
With a long history of providing place-based services, Henry Street blends mental health care with housing, youth services, and employment programs in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They support the needs of the whole person and bring insight into what it takes to build trust in communities.
Henry Street contributes ideas toward curriculum design and serves as a bridge to Manhattan’s Lower East Side community and beyond. They refer prospective students into the training, create a direct channel between the community and the program, and help to ensure that the skills and competencies taught in the program align with actual community needs.
Maimonides Medical Center
Serving a diverse Brooklyn population, Maimonides brings clinical depth and firsthand understanding of the mental health needs at both inpatient and outpatient facilities. They serve as a referral source for incumbent workers and a strategic partner in workforce planning.
Their leadership helps to identify entry-level behavioral health positions that align with the program’s pipeline and the skills and qualifications required for mid-level roles, ensuring the training prepares students for advancement.
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC):
KHCC is a trusted anchor in the Bronx, supporting families through programs that nurture mental wellness, early childhood development, youth empowerment, and housing stability. KHCC brings a community-rooted lens to ensure that behavioral health roles are shaped not only by credentials but by connection, consistency, and cultural understanding.
They strengthen our outreach in the Bronx and support placement pipelines. They also provide a pathway for local students into entry-level roles such as Community Health Workers and Program Assistants, while also helping connect graduates to neighborhood-based employment opportunities.
New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH):
OMH oversees a large, multi-faceted mental health system serving nearly 800,000 individuals annually. OMH operates 23 psychiatric centers statewide and regulates, certifies, and oversees more than 6,500 programs operated by local governments and nonprofit agencies, which are dedicated to serving individuals and families living with mental illness. OMH offers valuable insight into how roles can be clearly defined, structured for growth, and aligned with what’s needed on the ground.
OMH helps connect local efforts with broader workforce trends and ensures that the career pathways being built are both forward-looking and informed by what is already working across the state. They provide guidance on aligning curricula with state-recognized credentials, ensuring participants gain skills that meet the evolving demands of the behavioral health workforce.
Phipps Neighborhoods
The social services affiliate of Phipps Houses, Phipps Neighborhoods, is one of New York City’s oldest nonprofit developers of affordable housing. The organization provides education, career readiness, and community resources that empower residents in low-income neighborhoods to build stability and achieve long-term success.
Drawing on strong community partnerships and deep experience providing holistic support, Phipps contributes to curriculum development and instructional design by identifying gaps in behavioral health services and workforce capacity, and by sharing insights into the skills and competencies needed for mid-level staff.