The Lay Counselor Academy (LCA) is a 14‑week intensive training program that equips non‑licensed healthcare team members with practical, foundational mental health counseling skills. The Academy is designed for “helping professionals” who do not hold mental health degrees or licenses—people in roles such as care managers, Community Health Workers, resource coordinators, patient navigators, and others who already provide day‑to‑day emotional and practical support to patients. 

The LCA provides these staff with concrete skills to offer empathic, structured, and effective support, helping bridge gaps in the mental health system. The LCA was developed by EMorrison Consulting.

What is a Lay Counselor?

Lay counselors are trained professionals who provide crucial mental health support without traditional clinical licenses. They offer empathic care, bridging the gap in mental health services

LCA Curriculum and Design

The LCA Curriculum Includes:

  • Building and maintaining the Therapeutic Alliance
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Behavioral Activation
  • Strength-based approaches
  • Anti-bias counseling practices
  • Implicit bias awareness and mitigation techniques
  • Responding and helping people with suicidal thoughts
  • Helping people with anxiety and depression
  • Helping people who have substance use disorders
  • Helping people who have adverse childhood experiences
  • Managing boundaries and self-disclosures
  • Preventing vicarious trauma

Training Design:

  • 14 live training sessions (3 hours each)
  • Asynchronous weekly coursework (~1.5 hours per week)

The training is experiential, strength‑based, relational, and highly interactive. At least 30% of live sessions and 50% of homework assignments focus on practice with real‑world application. Participants are expected to be on camera when possible and actively engage in all practice activities.

The course is intentionally designed to mirror the counseling relationship, supporting optimal social and experiential learning. MPCA recognizes that participants have demanding jobs and home lives—sessions aim to be energizing, supportive, and practical.

This is a logo of the Montana Primary Care Association Lay Counselor Academy
LCA Cohorts and Application Process

The first Montana Lay Counselor Academy cohort is from March – June 2026. The cohort is full, but interested individuals can fill out an application to be considered for future trainings. Future cohorts are planned and will be announced soon.

Interested individuals must complete a short application to be considered for the LCA. While supervisors are not required to sign off on applications, applicants must attest that their supervisor and organization are in support of  their application to the LCA and will provide the necessary time and support to fully engage in the course.

Please click here to access the LCA Application. If you have questions about the Montana Lay Counselor Academy, contact Jamie VanderLinden.

LCA Background

The Lay Counselor Academy was developed by EM Consulting in California, which has trained more than 1,000 Lay Counselors nationwide. The LCA underwent a formal evaluation in 2025, and you can read the evaluation here. The Montana Primary Care Association (MPCA) is excited to bring this evidence‑informed curriculum to Montana beginning in 2026.

What characteristics or qualities make someone a good fit for Lay Counseling?
  • A stance of self-reflection and self-awareness.
  • A stance of constant striving toward unconditional empathy & equity.
  • A commitment to do the ongoing work of identifying and countering our own biases and judgments.
  • A commitment and ongoing practice within a deep, dynamic, safe learning community and a robust network of mentors.
  • A  history of commitment to personal healing and growth, of doing one’s own ‘work.’
  • A deep belief that others know what is best for themselves, that helpers are not ‘experts’ on others’ lives.
  • A love of connection, communication, and a relational way of being.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • A deep capability to hear and hold others’ distress, anger, fear, and other strong or difficult emotions without undue distress, reactivity, or trying to ‘fix’ the other person.
  • Humility, curiosity, and a growth mindset, coupled with an openness to learning, feedback, and support.

“by requiring graduate degrees we are inadvertently, with good intentions of ensuring quality control, guaranteeing that many people go without service.”  – John C. Norcross, a professor of psychology at University of Scranton