Volunteer as a clinician

JOIN OUR MOVEMENT TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN WASHINGTON STATE

When you enroll as a volunteer willing to provide pro bono counseling, you are part of a movement to improve access to mental health care in Washington state.

Licensed clinicians pledge to provide free mental health treatment to at least one client per year. Common issues to address include stress, anxiety, sadness, grief, life transitions, and relationship issues. Clinicians choose how many people they would like to see and can choose the dates and times that work best for them.

The program also partners with approved internshipand practicum sites. Pro Bono Counseling program staff work with the site to refer clients for free counseling. We ask that each student commit to seeing one client for 8 sessions.

Project Access Northwest takes care to ensure that all individuals seeking care are thoroughly screened by a care coordinator during the intake process, and we only match uninsured and underinsured adults (living at or below 300% of the federal poverty level), who can engage in insight-oriented counseling.

Project Access Northwest staff are available for case consultation and work to ensure that clinicians receive:

• An informed and engaged client who has been screened by our staff;
• All the information needed for the patient’s care at the time of the initial visit;
• Clients selected for you or your practice based on your offered services and specialties.

HOW IT WORKS

Once you are enrolled, our team will match you with potential clients you are well suited to meet. You are always free to accept or decline a referral for any reason.

You can also tailor your participation around your areas of expertise; let us know what kinds of cases you would like to take, and our staff will match you with appropriate clients.

For internship/practicum sites and group practices providing supervision to early-career clinicians, we will work with your staff to determine the most appropriate referrals. Typically, a supervisor or intake coordinator will assist with matching clients with practicum students or interns.

BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING

Project Access Northwest’s Pro Bono Counseling program is dedicated to the well-being of clinicians, as well as clients. We endeavor to support our pledged providers with benefits, including:

• Free access to live continuing education trainings through our partner organization, Washington Mental Health Counselors Association ;

• Support with complex or high acuity cases, including consultation with experienced mental health professionals, referral to other Project Access programs (such as free dentistry or community resource connections), and the possibility of vacation/leave coverage for solo practitioners;
• Invitations to community events and initiatives, ranging from social and networking events to advocacy opportunities;
• And more to come – feel free to suggest a benefit that would meaningfully support Washington’s mental health professional community.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER

To volunteer your therapeutic services with Project Access Northwest, you must:

• Either be licensed to practice independently in Washington State, or have appropriate supervision;
• Have active liability insurance either independently or through your employment/internship/practicum site;
• Have access to:

• A telehealth platform if seeing clients via telehealth
• Office space if seeing clients in person
• Electronic health record software or a secure means of keeping paper records

Please complete this form and upload a copy of your liability insurance. (If your liability insurance is through your employer or internship/practicum site, connect us with your site’s administrative staff.) If you are unable to upload a file, you may fax or mail a copy. Soon afterward, a member of our team will get in touch with you and inform you of the next steps.

Provider Pledge Form

Please direct any questions to the program manager, Ariel Alon, LMHC

ariela@projectaccessnw.org

telephone: 206-489-4560