The United States is grappling with a behavioral health crisis worsened by workforce shortages, which restrict access to treatment. States are responding by creating new roles and expanding existing ones within the behavioral health workforce. However, misalignment in training, regulation, and payment policies undermines the effective deployment of these roles to address needs. This article…
Community health workers are an important workforce for health care systems to achieve health equity and reduce health disparities in vulnerable communities. However, because CHWs are a non-licensed workforce who work across system settings with various job titles, it is difficult to estimate and characterize this workforce. This article discusses the estimated size and state…
Amid a growing behavioral health crisis in the US, less than half of individuals who need services for mental health or substance use concerns receive care. Multiple factors impact access to behavioral health services, including payment, stigma, and the availability of a positioned behavioral health workforce in areas with the greatest need. Recent work demonstrates…
The expansion of integrated behavioral health (IBH) in primary care is crucial to addressing the growing behavioral health crisis in the US. Evidence shows that patients are more likely to receive behavioral health diagnosis and treatment in primary care than in specialty mental health settings. COVID-19 disrupted primary care delivery, necessitating modifications to IBH. Social…
By employing evidence-based methods, harm reduction seeks to lessen the negative health and social consequences associated with substance use. As harm reduction services continue to expand without the need for professional certification, there remains considerable variation in how the workforce is perceived and trained in harm reduction principles and practices. This article explores the harm…
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic worsened mental health conditions due to sudden social distancing restrictions, prolonged isolation, and increased disruptions in mental health and substance use treatment and support services. Peer support specialists play a crucial role in helping individuals with mental health and substance use challenges explore various pathways to recovery. These services…
Behavioral health needs are on the rise in the United States, significantly influencing health care utilization, costs, and outcomes. Social workers offer diverse services across health, behavioral health, and community settings. Although this variety enhances care delivery, it also makes health workforce analyses more complex. This article describes the various estimates provided by 5 national…
Harm reduction, an evidence-based approach that mitigates the effects of substance use through prevention, treatment, and recovery, has recently been identified as an important facet of efforts in the US to address the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders. However, little is known about the behavioral health workforce working in harm-reduction settings. This article aims…
Increasing access to behavioral health providers in safety-net clinics is vital to ensuring behavioral health care equity. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the factors that better prepare behavioral health providers to practice in these settings. This article explores how experiences with medically-underserved populations during the education of behavioral health professionals affects their…
Addressing the behavioral health crisis in the US requires understanding who comprises the behavioral health workforce, where they are distributed, and what policy and practice issues facilitate or inhibit the delivery of behavioral health care. During this webinar experts from the UNC Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center provided an overview of research efforts designed to…
