Training Experiences: Supporting Behavioral Health Trainees

Cherie Ryan, MSW, has long held passions for justice, mental health, and helping those who are most vulnerable and in need.

These passions revealed themselves early in her life when she saw loved ones struggle through economic or personal hardships that felt unfair.

“When that would happen, a voice would pop up in my head and say, ‘Remember this—and that it doesn’t feel fair,’” Ryan said.

Ryan listened to that voice and held on to those memories and passions, which eventually connected and guided her toward a career in social work. Today, thanks in part to support from BHECN’s Graduate Trainee Support Program (GTSP), Ryan works as a licensed social worker at the Lincoln Regional Center (LRC).

The GTSP – which has supported 47 trainees since it was started in 2023 – is just one of the tools BHECN uses as part of the Training Experiences pillar of The Nebraska Model. Other BHECN training programs support psychiatry residencies, psychology internships, psychiatric nurse practitioner trainees and opportunities for undergraduate psychology majors.

GTSP is specifically designed to support training experiences that serve rural, public sector, or justice-involved communities, said Jessica Boren, the BHECN program coordinator who oversees the GTSP (right).

“Trainees also must intend to practice in Nebraska after they graduate,” Boren said. “It goes without saying that Cherie was a perfect candidate for the program.”

This is actually Ryan’s second stint at LRC—her first was as a mental health technician from 2012 through 2018. During that time, Ryan developed another passion: working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI).

“I’ve been told I have a very calming and welcoming presence,” Ryan said. “And those are good traits to have when working with this population.”

As she neared the end of her master’s degree studies in social work at Nebraska Wesleyan University and approached her final practicum, Ryan sought out training experiences that would allow her to connect with and serve that same population. The first opportunity that emerged was at her old workplace—LRC.

During her interview about completing her practicum at LRC, Ryan learned about the GTSP. She subsequently applied for the program and was accepted.

For Ryan, the GTSP support provided her and her family with additional financial resources as she completed her practicum training at LRC earlier this year. Upon completing her practicum, Ryan earned her master’s degree, obtained her social work license, and began working full-time as a social worker at LRC in September—where she now serves individuals with SPMI.

“I’m very excited to have reached my goal of becoming a social worker and to get to work with people I have such a passion for helping,” Ryan said.