Hometown Jobs: Human Services Program at Virginia Western Community College

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – In case you have a passion for helping the community, there’s such a need for people who work in mental health services right now in our hometowns.

The Human Services program at Virginia Western Community College prepares students for a career in social work or human services.

“Since there’s a rise in mental health awareness, I really wanted to be a part of the change that, you know, eliminates the stigma, and provide compassion and empathy towards those struggling,” said Ana Chubik, a student in the Human Services Program.

“It’s a frontline service where we are helping individuals to live their best lives and get the support that they need,” said Michael Abajace, the Program Head of the Human Services Program.

During the two-year program, students don’t only get the skills they need in the classroom.

“There’s a lot of role play scenarios in my mental health classes, which kind of prepares me for what it’s going to be like working with a client one-on-one in the field,” said Chubik.

They also get hands-on experience at an internship.

“They do 180-hour internship that is geared towards different agencies in, in the field, whether it is TAP, Headstart, Department of Social Services, Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care,” said Abajace.

“I really did find that this program, they gave you the real-world experience. They wanted you to know, when you go into the field, like it’s not going to be daisies all the time. It’s going to be tough, but we have the skills and we were trained properly from Western to be able to do this,” said Kelsey Dickerson, Authorizations Specialist at Hall Community Services INC.

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Those internships can turn into job opportunities which can fill a workforce, meeting the needs of Southwest Virginia.

“Careers in mental health are extremely important, especially right now, there’s a dire need as we currently have a mental health crisis in our area,” said Tara Hutcheson, Director of Hall Community Services INC.

The program head says since that need is so great, the program is flexible.

“We’re about to offer all of our courses in a seven-week format and there will be options for traditional face-to-face classroom experiences, but also fully online options available for each class and the program as well,” said Abajace.

And financial aid is available.

“Employers are really struggling to have enough employees to provide all the services that they’re getting requests for, where we are so blessed to have so much free money available for students, whether it’s through grants or scholarships that they don’t have to pay back,” said Abajace.

Students in the program say it’s rewarding and one preparing them to make an impact in our hometowns.

“I think it takes somebody who is really passionate about helping others in need, as well as those who really just want to make a change in the community,” said Chubik.

The program is enrolling students and you can click here to learn more.

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