Florida Parish News

Lacombe, LA – With the rise in post-pandemic mental health issues and awareness nationwide, Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) is responding by launching a new program that will train students who want to enter the mental health field and become a psychiatric technician. In addition, thanks to a $20,000 donation by the American Association of Psychiatric Technicians (AAPT), NTCC will have the seed money needed to get this program started in February 2023.

“There is a huge need in the communities we serve for psychiatric technicians,” said Christi Marceaux, the Associate Provost of Health Sciences and Nursing at NTCC. “The pandemic has shown us the need is great, today more than ever.”

NTCC Chancellor, Dr. William Wainwright, praised the efforts of the AAPT, Ms. Marceaux and her staff to ensure this program gets started. “The Psych Tech program has been developed in response to the behavioral health needs in our area. This new program at NTCC will help provide much-needed trained professionals to begin mental health care careers.” said Wainwright.

According to the AAPT, Psychiatric Technicians are mental-health technicians who work with and care for people suffering from a variety of mental health issues. Their jobs can range from monitoring the physical and emotional well-being of patients to assisting them with their daily routines and monitoring their medication and personal hygiene. The goal of NTCC’s new Psych Tech program is to prepare students to provide safe, therapeutic patient care to individuals who have mental and behavioral health needs in an effective and ethical manner.

“As the need for mental health and substance abuse services grows in our area, so does the need for qualified staff to help treat these individuals,” said Tanmay Mathur, CEO of Covington Behavioral Health. “This program is a much-needed resource that will help to provide qualified mental health technicians in our psychiatric hospitals, such as Covington Behavioral Health, to drive superior patient outcomes, as well as important jobs for individuals in our region.”

“At the heart of our mission is being able to provide affordable, accessible educational options to the Northshore community that also enhances the communities that we serve,” said Wainwright. "We have listened to our healthcare partners needs and responded accordingly.”

Anyone interested in participating in NTCC’s new Psychiatric Technician program, or who would like to receive additional information, are asked to contact ntccworkforce@northshorecollege.edu.

 

About Northshore Technical Community College

Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) is a comprehensive college with a rich history of providing workforce training and academic pathways to universities across the state of Louisiana. Beyond the traditional classroom and workforce training opportunities, NTCC provides opportunities for students seeking our Adult Education, ESL, and YouthBuild programs.  NTCC is comprised of its Main Campus in Lacombe, Hammond Area Campus, Florida Parishes Campus in Greensburg, Sullivan Campus in Bogalusa, and the Livingston Parish Campus in Walker.  In 2015, NTCC was recognized by the Brookings Institute as the first in the nation for economic value of its graduates.  The Chronicle of Higher Education named NTCC in 2019 as seventh fastest growing colleges from 2007-2017.  NTCC was also awarded the Top Places to Work in New Orleans by the Advocate Times-Picayune in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. If you would like more information about the Northshore Technical Community College, check us out at www.northshorecolle.edu.

Original source can be found here.