This summer, Bay Area youth took their first steps into mental health careers through a powerful program blending mentorship and immersive field experiences. Over six weeks this summer, students were matched with dedicated mentors across the mental and behavioral health fields for a transformative exploration of healthcare, research, and well-being. Students learned about key issues in mental and behavioral health and gained invaluable exposure to mental health career pathways, including roles in clinical care, community outreach, and behavioral health research.
The curriculum blended interactive workshops on community-based practice, trauma-informed care, and ethics with site visits to culturally grounded and clinical settings, including the Native American Health Center, Asian Health Services, and UCSF Mission Bay giving participants a real-world view of behavioral health in diverse contexts.
The program culminated in a vibrant poster session, where youth participants presented self-directed research projects. This capstone experience allowed them to strengthen their critical thinking, public speaking, and presentation skills and provided a tangible asset for future academic and professional opportunities.
This pilot was made possible by generous financial support from Kaiser Permanente, along with programmatic and operational assistance from UCSF’s Anchor Institution Mission, which is committed to expanding educational, workforce development, and employment opportunities for Bay Area youth. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and the BCH Oakland Behavioral Health Division provided programmatic leadership.
Looking ahead, the MINDset team will build on these early successes to replicate and expand this health sciences pathway in mental and behavioral health for future cohorts.