Be The Person You Needed
As a Youth Mental Health Corps member, you’ll spend a service year doing work that matters right now — showing up for young people in schools and communities, building trust, and helping peers feel seen.
Meet Your Engagement Manager
Get to know the YMHC Director of Member Success, Inesha Williams, and learn how she’ll support you throughout your service journey.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Inesha Williams, Director of Member Success at iwilliams@youthmentalhealthcorps.org.
Certification Pathways
As a Youth Mental Health Corps Member, you’ll have the opportunity to enter a mental health career path through one of three certification pathways:
School-based Mental Health Navigator
Be the person students can turn to. You’ll serve in schools, after-school programs, and community youth organizations — often in places with too few mental health resources — helping young people find support and stay connected. Along the way you’ll earn stackable certificates, credentials, and/or college credit you can put toward a degree.
Peer Support / Recovery Specialist
If you’ve lived through mental health or substance use challenges, that experience can help someone else through theirs. On this path you’ll walk alongside peers and near-peers in their recovery — while earning the training and hours toward a state peer support / recovery specialist certification. Open to members up to age 29.
Community Health Worker
Meet people where they are. You’ll serve youth and young adults in communities where mental health care is hard to reach, connecting them to resources and support — and earn the training, experience, and a state community health worker certification to build a career on.
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How You'll Serve
Most days, you’ll be right where young people already are — in schools, community organizations, and clinics — working alongside the staff there. That looks like:
- Checking in one-on-one and in small groups, offering peer and near-peer guidance
- Running trainings for parents and caregivers
- Building community outreach campaigns
- Spotting the barriers that keep youth from getting mental health care
- Helping students and staff navigate social media, digital wellbeing, and online safety
What you’ll have access to
From your first week to your last, you’re surrounded by people and resources whose whole job is to help you succeed — a manager in your corner, a national community of peers, career coaching, and real help when life gets hard.
Leadership Opportunities
YMHC members can also take part in additional professional development opportunities that deepen their leadership experience and help them take on more.
YMHC Leadership Fellows Program
Members will earn stackable certificates, credentials and/or credits toward a higher education program as they serve in schools, out-of-school-time programs, and community-based youth organizations in communities with limited access to mental health services.
Digital Fellows Program
The YMHC Leadership Fellowship is where members ready to lead take the next step. Fellows help build the program itself, grow their own career vision, and represent the Corps on a national stage.
Hear From Our Members
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Ready to be the person a young person needs?
Opportunities and applications are run by each state’s service commission. Find your state to see what’s available near you and how to apply.
