Practicum education is a critical component of master’s-level behavioral health training, providing students in social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy with supervised, practice-based experience. However, programs increasingly face challenges recruiting and retaining practicum sites and supervisors due to high workloads, limited organizational capacity, inadequate incentives, and growing competition for placements. This article examines…
Supervision is essential for helping early career behavioral health clinicians (professionals with master’s or doctoral degrees and one to 3 years post-graduate experience) progress toward independent practice. However, there is limited understanding of what constitutes high-quality supervision, how effective it is, and how it may support workforce retention. This article describes key features and evidence…
Persistent shortages of the behavioral health workforce have prompted interest in expanding roles for bachelor’s-level behavioral health support workers as a strategy for increasing care. However, the integration of this bachelor’s-level workforce and the roles these individuals fill in the behavioral health system vary widely across states, shaped by differences in regulatory authority, licensure/credentialing, and…
Integrated behavioral health, which incorporates behavioral health services into general medical settings, is an effective approach to improving access to mental health care. The psychiatric collaborative care model (CoCM), a team-based approach involving a primary care provider, behavioral health care manager, and consulting psychiatrist, has strong evidence supporting its effectiveness for treating conditions such as…
Substance use during pregnancy remains a major public health concern in the United States, contributing to adverse maternal and infant outcomes, including preterm birth, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and increased maternal mortality. Although universal screening during prenatal care is recommended to identify women with substance use disorders (SUDs) and connect them to treatment, screening and treatment…
Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers is a longstanding challenge that impacts the well-being of workers and patients. State legislative efforts to address WPV against healthcare workers have accelerated in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides a comprehensive review of WPV-related enacted legislation in healthcare settings across all 50 states over…
Despite the mental health crisis youth face in the United States, little is known about how children differentially access mental health care from primary care providers and psychiatrists. Using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), researchers explored trends over time from 2005-2019. This article examines demographic and diagnostic differences in treatments for child mental…
Peer Recovery Support Specialists (PRSS) play a crucial role in the behavioral health workforce, assisting individuals in their recovery from substance use and mental health challenges. Despite their essential contributions to the behavioral health field, research on resilience among peers remains limited. This article examines how PRSSs’ personal resilience and their satisfaction with supervisor and…
The nation faces a persistent shortage and maldistribution of primary care physicians (PCPs). A better understanding of PCP career typologies could help policy makers target interventions toward certain subgroups, rather than using a “one-size fits all” approach to improving PCP supply and distribution across settings and in rural areas. This article discusses findings from a…
As many as 1 in 5 women will experience a behavioral health condition during their perinatal period, yet the availability of services specifically designed and delivered for individuals who experience perinatal mental health and substance use conditions remains unclear. This article uses the National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (NSUMHSS) to explore the…
