Funded through a grant from the US Department of Education, ARROW is an opportunity for the District of Columbia to launch recruitment and retention activities that build knowledge, skills, professional opportunities and job satisfaction for school behavioral health professionals to enter and remain in the workforce through collaboration with local education agencies (LEAs), District colleges and universities and school behavioral health organizations and partners. Learn more below:
ARROW Learning Community
Under the Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workers (ARROW) recruitment activities, and available to all school-based behavioral health providers, the Learning Community (LC) will provide DC school-based providers with:
- Training on evidence-based practices;
- Technical assistance (TA) sessions to offer supervision and consultation; and
- Career advancement and wellness coaching to support providers in meeting the needs of the youth and communities they serve and foster individual provider wellbeing.
LC training offerings have been informed by the expressed needs of the school-based provider behavioral health workforce working in DC public and public charter schools and designed to help these providers expand their therapeutic skills and toolboxes as they continue to support their students and school communities.
Stay up to date with all ARROW training offerings by following our Eventbrite page. To learn more about the ARROW LC, contact [email protected] and to stay updated about summer training opportunities join our email list. Summer learning opportunities will include:
- Wellness Coaching [Group session calendar and description]
- Grief and Loss Training
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Youth Training (in-person) (virtual)
- Suicide Assessment and Intervention Training
- Suicide Postvention Training
- Introduction to Play Therapy Training
- Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy
ARROW GO! Award Program
The Advancing the Recruitment and Retention of Our Workforce (ARROW) GO! Award Program provides funding for eligible District of Columbia school-based behavioral health providers to participate in national in-person learning opportunities.
Future opportunities will be available for:
- School-based behavioral health clinicians (i.e., school social workers, school psychologists, or licensed counselors) to attend the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health in Orlando, FL on Dec. 2-4, 2025. (Application opens August 2025.)
- School psychologists to attend the National Association of School Psychologists 2025 Annual Convention in Chicago, IL on Feb. 24-27, 2026 – pending funding availability. (Application opens September 2025.
First Year Cadre
The First Year Cadre is a unique professional development opportunity designed for school-based behavioral health providers, i.e., school social workers, school psychologists and counselors (school counselors and licensed counselors) who are new to the school setting.
Participants attend regular professional development sessions, connect with peers, and receive tailored resources and tools to support their work. Applications for the next cohort of the First Year Cadre will open in fall 2025! Please see this one pager for more information and eligibility criteria. Questions? Reach out to [email protected].
ARROW Career Center
The ARROW Career Center is a resource for aspiring school-based behavioral health providers in the District of Columbia to view internship and job postings and learn about what it is like to work in a DC public or public charter school. Please visit the ARROW Career Center here, and if you are a current or prospective school-based behavioral health provider or student/trainee, visit this page regularly for updates.
If you are a DC public or public charter local education agency (LEA) or school or a community-based organization (CBO) that provides school-based behavioral health services in partnership with the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), submit employment opportunities using this form: ARROW Career Center Submission Form.