New behavioral-health program launches

FRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Front Range Community College will offer four new certifications in behavioral health, the college announced Monday.

The offerings, which will be offered at the Fort Collins, Longmont and Westminster campuses, are designed to provide students with the tools they need to help people in Colorado communities by earning certificates in mental health and wellness.

An estimated one in five Coloradans lives with a mental-health or substance-use disorder. Positions for behavioral-health counselors are expected to grow by almost 30% by the end of this decade.

Registration is open for classes that will begin in August. Students will be able to earn certificates in Behavioral Health Plus, Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant and Behavioral Health Assistant II. FRCC will also begin offering a Patient Navigator certificate in fall 2026.

“FRCC is supporting the state of Colorado’s efforts to increase and diversify the behavioral health-care provider workforce with this new program,” Rebecca Woulfe, the college’s vice president for academic affairs and provost, said in a prepared statement.

“By earning a certificate in behavioral health, students learn foundational skills to begin working to help others in their community. These certificates also offer a strong foundation for advancing into a behavioral health degree.”

The new for-credit program builds on the momentum of FRCC’s existing non-credit courses, in which students complete microcredentials in behavioral health.

“With the growing demand for behavioral health services, our new program provides the skills needed to make a direct impact on people’s lives,” Angie Peach, dean of health science and wellness at the college, said in a news release.

“FRCC’s new certificate offerings will help address a statewide lack of services and the shortage of behavioral-health professionals, especially in rural communities.”