Application Submission, Review, Selection, & Acceptance

Priority application period for the ACT Program opens on November 1, 2025 until January 1, 2026. Priority applications will be reviewed in the beginning of February 2026. Priority applicants will be contacted to meet with the Program Director for an informal interview by mid-February 2026. Applications received during the priority application period are more likely to be selected for admission. Applications received after January 1, 2026 will be processed on a rolling basis after priority applications have been processed until March 15, 2026 or until all 20 seats in the cohort are accounted for. Informal interviews are scheduled within 1-2 weeks of receipt. Applicants typically receive selection notifications within a week of the interview.

• Priority Application Period: November 1, 2025 – January 1, 2026
• Priority Application Processing & Selection: February 1 – 15, 2026
• Final Application Period Close: March 15, 2026

Application & Enrollment Process

1. Submit Application
2. Informal Interview with Program Director
3. Program Fee Waiver Application and Notification Process (if applicable)
4. Submit Enrollment Form

Selection Criteria

Applicant should hold a graduate degree in mental health counseling or related field from an accredited graduate program and be licensed or license-eligible.

Prospective applicants not meeting the above criteria but provides mental health services in a license-holding organization and is receiving reflective supervision from a licensed mental health clinician should contact the program director for consideration prior to submitting an application.

Experience providing mental health services for families with young children is recommended but not required; however, the availability of families with young children as clients during the advanced clinical training (ACT) phase allows for direct hands-on clinical consultation and skill-building/deepening experience.

Alignment with ACT Program goals to expand and diversify the infant and early childhood mental health clinical workforce.

A note about the interview: The interview provides the program with the opportunity to meet and learn more about the applicant through a modality other than writing. It also provides the applicant an opportunity to meet the program director and ask more questions to ensure fit and informed decision-making.

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