Healthy Minds' workforce project director selected for national fellowship

Tequia Sier, Healthy Minds' project director for behavioral health workforce development, has been chosen to participate in a selective fellowship program for behavioral health leaders focused on building equitable mental health systems.

Tequia, who previously oversaw statewide prevention initiatives at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, was chosen to participate in the College for Behavioral Health Leadership's Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program through a competitive application process.  

Through the fellowship, participants are trained and empowered to work as change agents in their organizations and communities, taking measurable steps to build more equitable health care systems. Tequia will join behavioral health leaders from across the country in both in-person and virtual sessions designed to orient leaders to a new approach to systems transformation – one where leaders develop the confidence, skills, and knowledge necessary to disrupt existing harmful system practices.

This opportunity will support Tequia’s ongoing work at Healthy Minds to close the gap between Oklahoma’s growing demand for mental health services and its behavioral health workforce. Oklahoma has a statewide shortage of many critical mental health and substance use treatment professionals, and this mismatch in supply and demand is especially acute among communities of color and in rural parts of the state.

"I’m honored to have been chosen for this innovative program as I work toward finding solutions to Oklahoma’s workforce shortages," said Tequia. "By taking an equity-focused approach to mental health systems transformation, we can create behavioral health systems that work for all Oklahomans."

The fellowship program begins in September and will run through August 2024.

For more information, visit the College for Behavioral Health Leadership’s website.

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