The Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences is adding a third location for its Master of Science in Counseling program in Lathrop, California.

The Lathrop location will welcome about 40 students in July, said Anthony Dragonette, the school’s director of Counseling.

The two other existing Kaiser Permanente campus locations are in Richmond and San Mateo, California.

Meeting a shortage

The Master of Science in Counseling program meets the educational requirements for marriage and family therapy licensure in California. A unique aspect of the program guarantees clinical training for students through the KP Counseling Center.

Dragonette said he regularly receives feedback that Kaiser Permanente students are well prepared when they enter the mental health workforce.

“Our graduates have demonstrated success as mental health therapists in a range of settings,” said Dragonette. “There is a significant shortage of mental health providers in the Central Valley, and our new location in Lathrop will help meet this need.”

The opening of the new school site is a strategic move to increase mental health services in the Central Valley. The area has the lowest number of licensed marriage and family therapists in the state, at 48 per 100,000 population, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

Many students come to the program as a second career, said Dragonette.

“We have students in their 30s, 40s, and 50s and even some starting in their 60s,” said Dragonette.

Students attracted to quality, affordability

Matthew Toy of Berkeley recently graduated from the Richmond school site and is now doing his post-master’s fellowship in mental health and recovery at Kaiser Permanente Oakland. With an undergraduate degree in international politics, he spent time as a yoga instructor and personal trainer. But he was looking for a more stable career.

The Kaiser Permanente program was attractive to him because of its small class size.

“The intimate setting was a game-changer,” he said. “At larger schools, you can feel like just another student, but here, the faculty and staff really take care of you. They’re invested in your success. By graduation, I felt ready to handle complex clinical situations with confidence.”

Jennifer Poonia graduated from the Richmond campus in 2025 and is currently working as a post-master’s fellow providing addiction medicine and recovery care at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City. She considered other programs but was impressed by the affordability, quality, and multicultural focus of the Kaiser Permanente one.

“They really engrained openness and curiosity in my work as a therapist right from the start,” she said of the training. “It’s not just about checking the boxes for mental health care — it’s about becoming someone who can sit with anyone and offer real support.”

Applications for slots in the program, with classes starting in the summer of 2026, are being taken through February 9.