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…
The United States is facing a growing youth mental health crisis, with increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among children and adolescents. At the same time, shortages of behavioral health providers and other barriers to care limit access to needed services. School-based behavioral health (SBBH) programs have emerged as a promising strategy to improve…
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…
In 2023, nearly 25% of the US population aged 12 or older used illicit drugs, and over 17% met the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD), with synthetic opioids and excessive alcohol use driving a sharp rise in drug-related deaths. Despite the growing need for SUD treatment, significant access gaps remain—especially for individuals from…
This webinar featured two health workforce training experts who shared best practice strategies for approaching workforce training program evaluation, navigating evaluation success and challenges, and student training experiences. Their experiences along with viewer feedback will inform development of the Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center’s evaluation resources for health workforce training programs across the country.ArrayJuly 10,…
Providing behavioral health to inmates with mental health and substance abuse disorders in correctional facilities is important for helping to maintain a safe prison environment and reducing rates of recidivism once those inmates transition out of the prison system. However, due to behavioral health workforce shortages and other factors, most prisoners do not receive adequate…
A Health Resources and Services Administration report stated that 77% of US counties experienced severe psychiatrist shortages in 2017, and yet 1 in 5 American adults experience a mental illness in a given year. There is a pressing need to map the supply of prescribing psychiatric workforce. This report maps the supply of psychiatrists, advanced…
The field of behavioral health is experiencing a shortfall of licensed providers. Community health workers (CHWs) and peer recovery specialists (PRSs) function as critical components of the workforce that can mitigate access and treatment gaps. Increasing demand for behavioral health services, exacerbated by the ongoing opioid epidemic, has intensified the need for addiction counselors (ACs),…
