First, she completed the apprenticeship… now she’s a mentor for the Behavioral Health Technician apprenticeship program!
Cynthia DeRocher, Activities Coordinator at Cascade Senior Living Services (CSLS), has grown her career and achieved her goals through the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium’s (HCAC) earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship. Since completing the Behavioral Health Technician Apprenticeship in June 2023, she has come full circle: today, she is a mentor for other program apprentices – and is also celebrating 8 years of sobriety!
A graduate of the very first Behavioral Health Technician apprenticeship cohort, Cynthia was eager to grab this opportunity when it became available. It seemed too good to be true: a one-year apprenticeship program includes classroom instruction, lab sessions, mentored on-the-job training, built-in support services to minimize barriers, and Nursing Assistant certification.
The program provided her with apprentice tuition, reimbursement for scrubs, connections to additional resources, and more. She especially appreciates the hands-on tech support and encouragement that she received throughout the program:
“This program was a blessing. I am 60 years old. It gave me all the help and support that I needed to complete the work and graduate.
It gave me confidence that I did not have before – I am equipped with every experience, every day.
I can now help others.”
Cynthia’s past lived experience with depression and recovery gives her additional insight into this career pathway:
“This program showed me things about myself that I had to come to terms with. I am in recovery myself, and will soon have eight years sober. I come from both sides.
I want to be the help that I did not have when I needed it.
Now I get to help people, and I gain more compassion – I feel like that’s why I came through this.“
“I lived 21 years with severe clinical depression and could hardly get out of bed. That’s not who I am today.
But I have now gained so much, and completely changed – I have the tools, the skills, the knowledge to be who I wanted to be.”
From starting as a Restorative Aide at CSLS six years go, Cynthia is now the Activities Coordinator and her pay has doubled. She plans and organizes activities for 110 residents with various behavioral, mental, emotional needs.
She plans to keep learning: “I want to absorb as much as I can and just keep learning. I just got a new apartment and am learning to make time for self care as well.”
Diana Verrue, HR Director at CSLS, is thrilled to watch Cynthia grow her career: “It’s so neat watching Cynthia. She is all about helping others where they need it. She also receives a stiped to mentor two other apprentices.”
As a participating employer, Diana appreciates how the behavioral health apprenticeship programs meet workforce needs. “This BH Technician program allows us to retain people long term,” she says.
L to R: Veronica Wade (Director of Program Operations, Training Fund), Diana Verrue (HR Director, CSLS), Cynthia DeRocher (Activities Coordinator, CSLS), and Sukanya Pani (Deputy Director, Training Fund).