Beacon Fellowship
Benefits
As a Beacon Fellow you will receive the following benefits:
The Fellowship covers in-state tuition as described here.
Please review the “Program & Cost” page for an estimate of out-of-pocket costs. These are subject to change on a yearly basis.
School Counseling:
- Year 1: 50% tuition waiver
- Year 2: 100% tuition waiver (up to 66 credits)
School Psychology:
- Year 1: 50% tuition waiver
- Year 2: 75% tuition waiver
- Year 3: 100% tuition waiver (up to 66 credits)
Internship Stipend:
- Beacon Fellows will receive a $26,000 stipend to assist with living expenses during their internship year.
- Beacon Fellows will receive mileage or T-pass (public transportation) reimbursement.
Computer:
- Beacon Fellows will receive funding for a personal computer worth up to $1,000.
Materials Stipend:
- Beacon Fellows will receive a $150 stipend during their internship year for clinical materials used in practice.
Conference Attendance:
- Beacon Fellows will receive an $800 stipend to attend two national conferences.
Beacon Mentorship
Project Beacon connects Fellows with mentors that form part of the Project Beacon Advisory Board. The primary goal of the Project Beacon SEAS mentorship program is to promote the retention and professional development of school mental health providers from diverse backgrounds who are working in high-needs districts.
Project Beacon mentorship is grounded in the following mentorship domains:
1. Collaboration
2. Anti-racist Practice
3. Reflective Practice
4. Empowerment
5. Sponsorship
6. Professional Identity
Training Domains & Competencies
Specific training and mentoring experiences will target five
major competency areas:
- Leadership and ethical decision-making
- Inclusive, evidence-based practices
- Growing a professional identity as a school mental health provider
- High-quality consultation and team-based collaboration
- Trusting partnerships
Training will also be guided by three Project Beacon SEAS interdisciplinary training domains: (1) transformative social-emotional learning (TSEL), (2) advocacy, and (3) culturally and linguistically inclusive mental health services.
Mixed Reality Simulations
In addition to academic coursework, webinars, and summer institutes, Fellows will receive innovative trainings through Mixed Reality Simulations. Mixed reality simulations (MRS) are just what they sound like! MRS is a method of instruction utilizing technology that mixes reality with a simulation to give participants comprehensive, hands-on training opportunities before entering field work. MRS, and similar technology such as virtual reality, has been used in training for a range of professionals, including for pilots, nurses, and teachers.
UMass Boston Graduate Students Engaging with a Mixed Reality Simulation.
MRS specifically has been used at UMass Boston in counseling, consultation, and teacher preparation courses for several years. MRS are typically experienced over Zoom, where graduate students along with an instructor are on a Zoom call with a third party that runs the simulation. The simulation itself, for Project Beacon purposes, will be a one-on-one conversation with an avatar. An avatar is a simulated person who can converse and engage in real time conversations. The avatar has a background you, as the graduate student participants, are provided with before the simulation begins, and a personality you will discover as you talk to them!
The simulations address diverse topics and allow you to interact with avatars of different ages, genders, and backgrounds. Specifically, Beacon Fellows will participate in a total of 5 MRS throughout coursework: (1) culturally-inclusive DSM diagnosis, (2) culturally-inclusive counseling and ethical skill development, (3) engaging in transformative SEL, (4) addressing implicit bias in consultation practices, and (5) advocacy with leaders and policymakers.
Meet a few of the avatars!
Angela Rogers
Ava Russo
Dev Kapoor
Beacon Fellow Responsibilities
Before becoming a Beacon Fellow:
- Apply to School Counseling M.Ed. or School Psychology M.Ed./Ed.S. program
- For School Counseling – Apply to the combined School Counseling/School Adjustment Counseling program.
- For School Psychology – Apply to the School Psychology Education Specialist program.
During the program:
- Attend summer institutes (2 half-day events) and two webinars during the academic year
- Attend monthly mentorship meetings with assigned mentor
- Complete annual surveys and evaluations
- Complete internship in Brockton, Lawrence, or Quincy Public Schools
After completing the program:
- Work for a minimum of four years (after completing graduate school) in a high-need school district
- For this purpose, high need district is one that serves a student population that consists of at least 20% low-income students. 306 of 399 public school districts/charters (77%) in MA meet this requirement