Behavioral Health Workforce

Emphasizing the demand to address workforce shortages and improve access to mental health services helps ensure that Texas has the capacity to meet growing behavioral health needs. This included $134.7 million to increase salaries at state hospitals to address staffing shortages and reduce forensic waitlists; $23.9 million for community mental health centers; $28 million for a loan repayment program for mental health professionals; and $5 million for developing and expanding forensic psychiatry fellowship programs. Some states have made major investments and implemented innovative payment and delivery strategies, often in tandem with traditional workforce development approaches, to attract and retain a robust behavioral health workforce.

Promoting Workforce Resilience in Behavioral Health Settings

I look forward to working with the BHWEC and other state organizations to support behavioral health care providers and increase our mental health workforce.” “We hope to increase access to effective services through initiatives that will provide critically needed support and training for behavioral health providers in a range of traditional and nontraditional settings.” SIU SOM, UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work, and all consortium members will coordinate programs and oversee initiatives to increase the behavioral healthcare workforce and its capacity to provide high-quality behavioral health services across the state. The Center was established to combat these critical shortages in the workforce by addressing barriers to recruitment and training, collecting data on behavioral health needs, increasing diversity in the workforce, and expanding the capacity of healthcare providers to meet behavioral health needs. Additionally, behavioral health providers in rural communities often experience professional isolation, limited resources, and lengthy travel distances, exacerbating the need for more mental health workers, and making it challenging to deliver comprehensive care and support to patients in need.

Related Resources

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is stepping up to the challenge, creating accessible, effective educational pathways to behavioral health careers. FCBHW also translates research and stakeholder input into policy recommendations that strengthen retention and improve access to care while engaging health systems, academic institutions, state agencies and community partners to align strategies. The center is actively addressing critical workforce challenges through original research, mentorship programs with stipends spanning from high school through graduate education, and training initiatives to mitigate provider shortages and promote evidence-based practices. Through strong legislative support, strategic partnerships with academic institutions and health systems, and formalized governance structures, BHECN has built a coordinated, data-informed approach to workforce development. In North Carolina, the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center at the Sheps Center (UNC-Chapel Hill) (UNC-BHWRC) plays a critical national role in supporting the behavioral health workforce. It utilized a formal application process to compose the membership, tailored to include clinical leaders, research experts, and higher education partners to prioritize an evidence-informed approach to strengthening and diversifying the behavioral health workforce.

This scarcity affects both urban and rural areas, exacerbating disparities in access to care. Culturally competent professionals can bridge gaps, reduce disparities, and provide inclusive care. Without proper support and professional development opportunities, burnout becomes inevitable. Factors such as increased awareness, reduced stigma, and changing societal norms have led more individuals to seek help for mental health concerns. Additionally, there is not a clear next step for peer workers who want to take on additional responsibility while also continuing the aspects of the peer role—mentorship of those in the recovery process—that fueled their initial passion for the role. With input from providers and consumers (especially in underserved, rural/frontier areas) the roundtable participants discussed ways states can update payment models to encourage flexible workforce models that deliver evidence-based interventions with strong lived-experience components.

The Center for Workforce Solutions is convening the field How Right Now: Mental Health Resources to develop actionable ideas and strategies to meaningfully improve the workforce crisis. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has been at the forefront of driving best practice standards aimed at bolstering, educating, empowering and guiding the national workforce, and building capacity at all levels. This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. BHWCs enable states to build capacity by anchoring efforts in data analysis, expanding training pipelines, and coordinating stakeholders around shared goals. Through this program, the center collaborates with state Departments of Health and Human Services, universities, and provider networks across the country. UNC-BHWRC conducts comprehensive analyses of national workforce data to evaluate the adequacy, composition, and distribution of the workforce while exploring models of service delivery, particularly in underserved and rural areas.

• The Behavioral Health Institute collaborates with community and University partners to grow and strengthen Washington state’s behavioral health workforce.
• Additionally, the Care Forward Colorado initiative provides free healthcare training at community colleges, making it easier for individuals to enter the field.
• While strategies to retain the current workforce and cultivate future talent are critical, state policymakers recognize that increasing the number of clinicians, while vital, is part of a multipronged approach to meet the growing mental health and substance use treatment needs of most – especially underserved and at-risk populations.
• Following the 2020 assessment, the 2021 Washington State Legislature formalized the stakeholder workgroup that had informed previous iterations of policy and practice recommendations as the Behavioral Health Workforce Advisory Committee (BHWAC).

By offering financial incentives, states are not only attracting new professionals to the field but also retaining experienced practitioners, improving access to behavioral health services for underserved populations. States are leveraging their loan repayment programs to attract the behavioral health workforce to health professional shortage areas. Loan repayment programs are a well-established strategy to develop and address workforce maldistributions that have been expanded to include behavioral health providers. Also, effective 2023, OHA mandated that CCOs maintain a minimum fee schedule for services that include residential SUD, applied behavioral health analysis, mobile crisis response, and mental health children wraparound services, ensuring that providers are reimbursed at or above Medicaid fee-for-service rates. Additionally, providers treating people with co-occurring disorders receive an additional payment increase based on the state fee schedule of 10 percent, up to 20 percent more for qualified mental health professionals, and 15 percent more for residential treatment services. The funding prioritized expanding state hospital capacity, enhancing children’s mental health and school safety, and increasing access to community-based services such as crisis intervention.

Apps can provide quick access to diagnostic criteria, treatment guidelines, and case studies. This integration is multifaceted, encompassing a range of digital tools and platforms designed to facilitate interactive learning, provide access to real-time data, and foster collaborative learning environments. Through persistent advocacy and innovative approaches, the vision of a dynamic and enduring workforce can be realized. The advocacy for policies that foster sustainability in workforce solutions encompasses a multi-faceted approach, engaging stakeholders across various sectors to create a cohesive and resilient system. These platforms can offer flexibility and access to a wider range of resources, such as a course on cognitive-behavioral therapy that includes online modules, live webinars, and in-person workshops.