UVU’s Mental Health Services received a grant from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation for the second year in a row. Last year UVU received a $20,000 grant to pilot a post-doctorate therapist program, and its success led to a new $74,856 grant to fund its continuation and expansion.

“The post-doctoral fellowship was created to support the continuing education of therapists in training, as well as meet the pressing need to provide UVU students with psychotherapy,” said Dr. Taige Bybee, director of UVU’s Mental Health Services.

While therapists in this program primarily focus on individual therapy, fellows also lead UVU therapy groups, teach psychoeducational workshops, consult with staff, and lead interventions for students in crisis. By participating in a variety of settings in higher education, these therapists are able to receive the supervision and instruction required for them to gain their practice license.  

The increase in funding will allow UVU’s Mental Health Services to bring on additional therapists in training and provide more hours of service to students. These post-doctorate therapists will be available to students during working hours as well as when UVU’s Mental Health Services is not in operation, such as the early evening.

“The need for mental health intervention is critical yet difficult to meet without therapeutic resources,” Bybee said. “This grant enables us to employ more therapists to meet the widespread demand for treatment across UVU’s campus. We are immensely thankful for the financial support from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation.”

Those interested in applying to or learning more about the fellowship can contact Dr. Taige Bybee at bybeeta@uvu.edu.