Millions of Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition and deaths related to opioid misuse have been skyrocketing over the past 2 decades. The current behavioral health workforce tasked with addressing these issues is currently experiencing a shortage and projections foresee this shortage continuing in the coming years. However, the behavioral health workforce has also shown signs of progress.

This article outlines the major challenges and accomplishments of the current behavioral health workforce to propose strategies and best practices that can guide the success of the current and future workforce to provide quality care to those in need.