Brenau University and North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) recently signed an agreement to help associate degree graduates pursue bachelor’s degrees in psychology at Brenau.
Graduates of the Associate of Applied Science in social work assistant program can seamlessly transition into Brenau’s Bachelor of Science in psychology program offered through the Lynn J. Darby School of Psychology and Adolescent Counseling. The goal of the new academic agreement is to support student success while addressing the state’s ongoing mental healthcare workforce shortages.
Access to mental healthcare lags across the nation and is especially critical in much of northeast Georgia.
Georgia ranks near the bottom nationally in access to mental health care and mental health care for adults, according to the nonprofit Mental Health America. As of 2026, 151 of Georgia’s 159 counties are officially designated as having a shortage of mental health providers, according to the Rural Health Information Hub. Nationally, the employment of counselors in substance abuse, behavioral disorders, and mental health is expected to grow 17% through 2034, with about 48,300 annual job openings, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.