“The Mental Health Career Program has opened the doors to incredible people and an empowering community. It has given me hope that I can get through this journey of career licensing.” — Julio Cesar Zamarripa, Mental Health Career Program Participant




Immigrants Rising’s Mental Health Career Program provides undocumented professionals in California with the career-specific hands-on training, professional development, and mentoring they need to launch their careers in the mental health field. Program participants will receive supervision, training, and mentorship from licensed therapists while gaining hours towards their licensure in California by providing pro-bono mental health services to undocumented individuals.

Program Benefits

  • Direct career experience
  • Supervised clinical hours accumulation
  • Mentorship and supervision from a licensed therapist
  • Professional and leadership development training
  • Connection to Immigrants Rising’s network of professionals
  • Stipend to support participation in the program

General Requirements

  • Have completed a master’s degree in one of the following:
    • Social Work
    • Marriage and Family Therapy or related mental health field
    • Counseling
  • Have one of the following unexpired associate registrations in California:
  • Be foreign-born without permanent residency (green card) or citizenship in the U.S.
  • For first year participants, committed to spending approximately 15 hours/week at host site from August through June 2024
  • For second year participants, committed to spending approximately 20 hours/week at host site from August through June 2024
  • Committed to attending monthly half-day professional development trainings hosted by Immigrants Rising

The application cycle for 2023 has closed on Monday, August 14, 2023. To receive updates about future Mental Health Career Program opportunities, fill out our Mental Health Contact Form.