MinerAlert
MinerAlert
October 2025
By Sydney Bertram
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is responding to mental health care shortages in the border region with a new initiative that strengthens the local mental health workforce while removing barriers that prevent aspiring clinicians from completing their licensure.
With generous support from the LaMantia family, UTEP’s Department of Social Work launched a clinical supervision program in 2024 that directly addresses the challenges faced by recent Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates pursuing licensure as Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs).
The timing couldn't be more critical. El Paso County has just one mental health provider for every 650 residents, 2.2 times lower than the national average (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2025). “[There is] the need for increasing the mental health workforce, particularly in El Paso,” said Jason Mallonee, DSW, LCSW-S, clinical assistant professor and one of the program’s supervisors. “We recognized quickly that a big reason for the shortage was the cost associated with paying for clinical supervision…a particularly salient barrier for recent graduates.”
Traditionally, MSW graduates must pay out-of-pocket for supervision hours, typically $80 to $100 per hour, for 100 hours. In addition, they must complete 3,000 hours of supervised work over a two- to three-year period. The cost and logistics make licensure out of reach for many social workers.
Through UTEP’s clinical supervision program, participants now pay only $20 per hour, with the remaining cost covered by a $130,000 gift from the LaMantia family. Supervision is provided by experienced UTEP faculty members Mallonee, Viridiana Ortiz, Ph.D., LCSW-S, and Yahell Zúñiga, MSW, LCSW-S, who ensure high-quality guidance that meets state licensure standards.
Beyond making licensure more accessible for recent graduates, this initiative benefits under-resourced, local non-profits serving vulnerable and often uninsured populations. In short, this is a model that benefits everyone.
“Thanks to our amazing community partners, we’ve been able to bring clinical services into agencies that did not previously provide those services,” said Mallonee. “By doing so, we can invite people who may be reluctant to seek mental health care due to a variety of reasons, but who are already engaged with a community agency in another capacity, to tend to their mental health.”
Ortiz, another of the program’s faculty supervisors, emphasized the importance of accessible, culturally responsive care in the region. “Access is everything. El Paso is a vibrant and resilient community, but we’ve also faced trauma, loss, and systemic barriers to care. When people can’t find providers who understand their language, culture, and lived experience, they’re less likely to seek help.”
Among the supervisees serving the community is Daniel Munoz, LMSW, a former law enforcement officer who now focuses his clinical practice on veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders.
“My experiences in law enforcement and CPS provided a firsthand, macro-level view of the systemic gaps… I frequently worked with marginalized groups and saw how they cycled through systems without receiving the competent and trauma-informed mental health care necessary to heal,” said Munoz.
Munoz says the supervision he received was not just affordable but transformative. “The sessions have been crucial for expanding my clinical toolkit… Being able to connect and learn with a group of like-minded individuals has been invaluable for my growth.”
Other participants in the program have echoed the impact. Marissa Cena, LMSW, who has known since high school that she wanted to become a therapist, relies on her supervisor, Ortiz, and fellow supervisees for important feedback. “It is reassurance that I am progressing in my skills and that I am making the right calls when it comes to the services and treatment I am providing. I appreciate the community we are building under supervision.” Her placement is with at-risk youth who have experienced significant challenges that interfere with their academic, social, or emotional success in traditional school settings.
Since launching, the clinical supervision program has served 14 MSW graduates, who collectively provide hundreds of hours of pro bono clinical care in El Paso each month. Many are already making a difference, often outside their full-time jobs and without compensation, serving clients who otherwise would not have access to mental healthcare.
“Over time, I have been able to witness my supervisees develop an increasing sense of confidence in their ability to help people manage or resolve their life and mental health challenges,” said Mallonee. “They show up for the community and for their own personal and professional growth.” Ortiz added, “There’s something special about witnessing that moment when their self-doubt turns into trust—trust in their skills, in their judgment, and in their ability to truly help others.”
Participants in the program have expressed deep gratitude to the LaMantia family for making the clinical supervision program possible. “[Their] support not only made licensure financially viable but also provided critical training that is socially and culturally competent for the El Paso community… [The LaMantia family] invested in the mental health infrastructure of our city,” said Munoz.
“Expanding access to mental health services is very personal for our family,” said Lisa Peisen, member of the LaMantia family. “LCSWs are key to ensuring El Pasoans have qualified mental health professionals, and through this program we hope to dramatically increase the number of LCSWs in our community. We thank UTEP for seeing our vision and creating this unique program for their students,”
As the program continues to grow, UTEP aims to expand its reach and prepare even more culturally responsive, compassionate clinical social workers. “We continue to refine our processes and are focused on strengthening our recruitment efforts alongside our capacity to serve more LMSWs seeking licensure,” Mallonee said. “We also want to explore more specialty areas like trauma, bilingual practice, and rural mental health so that we continue meeting the unique needs of our region,” shared Ortiz.
UTEP social work alumni who are interested in participating in the program can learn more at: https://www.utep.edu/chs/sw/resources/lcsw-supervision-program.html For information on social work degrees and more, please contact the UTEP Department of Social Work at socialwork@utep.edu or (915) 747-5095.
Reference
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2025, September 24). El Paso, TX: 2025 El Paso County Community Conditions. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-data/texas/el-paso?year=2025