River Valley Counseling Center Secures Grant to Expand Supervision Capacity

HOLYOKE — River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC), now a member of ServiceNet, has received a $912,000 award through the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Behavioral Health Supervising Clinicians Incentive Program, the largest award to a behavioral health provider in Western Mass.

This funding, from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ Behavioral Health Trust, supports stipends for licensed clinicians who supervise interns and unlicensed staff, a crucial but time-intensive role that often goes uncompensated.

“This funding allows us to truly support and retain the experienced clinicians who take on the critical — and often overlooked — work of supervision,” said Elaine Campbell, vice president of Clinical Services at ServiceNet. “It’s a step toward valuing the full scope of what they contribute.”

RVCC employs nearly 200 unlicensed clinicians who can see clients under supervision. With this grant, senior clinicians can dedicate more time to mentoring, with financial recognition that fosters retention and stability.

“When supervision is strong, new clinicians get the guidance they need, clients get better care, and experienced staff are more likely to stay,” Campbell said. “This funding helps us build the kind of learning environment where everyone benefits.”

Awarded over a two-year period, the grant offsets the time supervisors invest in training and mentoring, allowing RVCC to further build and sustain a high-quality path to licensure.

This selection reflects the breadth of RVCC’s reach: five outpatient clinics in Holyoke, Chicopee, Easthampton, Springfield, and Westfield, plus services in dozens of schools across Hampshire and Hampden counties.