Workforce Development

Workforce problems have an impact on almost every aspect of prevention and treatment across all sectors of the diverse behavioral health field.  

National Action Plan on the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2007.

Workforce development is designed to improve the behavioral health of individuals, families and communities by ensuring that there is a workforce of appropriate size, composition, and competency to address mental health and substance use related needs in a specific geographic area or the nation at large. There has been a longstanding consensus in the United States about the critical need to strengthen the behavioral health workforce. The Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers (MHTTCs) are committed to playing a key role in addressing that need.  


Workforce Framework

There are many workforce challenges in behavioral health and a myriad of strategies and tactics for strengthening the workforce. At times, the complexity is overwhelming to those provider organizations or policymakers that are engaged in workforce planning and intervention. The 2007 SAMHSA-funded national Action Plan on behavioral health workforce development identified a framework for organizing planning and action that focused on: (1) broadening the composition of the workforce, (2) strengthening the traditional workforce, and (3) creating structures to support the workforce. View this workforce framework.


Workforce Resources

Workforce Challenges and Solutions in Mental Health Webinar
In June 2019, the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and Michael Hoge, Ph.D. from the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce facilitated a webinar, Workforce Challenges and Solutions in Mental Health, in which major workforce challenges were briefly reviewed and an array of strategies for finding, keeping and building a more competent workforce were presented. Innovative practices from across the country were also highlighted. The recording for this webinar can be accessed here. The slide deck for this webinar, as well as the webinar recording transcription, are available for download in the MHTTC Products and Resources catalog.

Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs Resource
Workforce development is designed to improve the behavioral health of individuals, families and communities by ensuring that there is a workforce of appropriate size, composition, and competency to address mental health and substance use related needs in a specific geographic area or the nation at large. There has been a longstanding consensus in the United States about the critical need to strengthen the behavioral health workforce. The Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers (MHTTCs) are committed to playing a key role in addressing that need. MHTTC Network: Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs is available for download in the MHTTC Products and Resources catalog.

In addition, there are a variety of websites and major reports that serve as resources for behavioral health workforce development. View the resource list.


Featured MHTTC Regional Center Resources

Special Topics in Workforce Development

Characteristics of the Workforce
Behavioral health has, perhaps, the most diverse workforce among all health care fields with respect to the types of providers. 

Competencies
At the foundation of workforce training are the competencies that define the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to function effectively in the field of mental health. 

Direct Care Workers
Direct care workers without graduate education in behavioral health comprise one of the largest segments of the mental health and addiction workforce. Yet, there is often little attention given to the recruitment, training, supervision, and retention of these essential workers. 

Infrastructure
Effective workforce development can be facilitated by various forms of infrastructure. These include: state and regional workforce development structures; technical assistance structures; human resources and training infrastructures; workforce planning and quality improvement systems; and information technology. 

Leadership Development
Leadership abilities, which were once thought to be innate traits, are now considered to be competencies that many, if not most, workers can develop. Leadership competencies in the mental health field have been identified and leadership training programs developed. From a workforce perspective, these tools and resources make it possible to engage in succession planning in mental health organizations.

Peer Support Workforce
The provision of support by and between individuals with a history of mental illness has a long tradition. What was once largely an informal process has evolved and expanded over the last few decades into a more formal peer support workforce.

Recruitment & Retention
Workforce recruitment and retention have long been identified as significant challenges in the behavioral health field. While these are simple terms, the issues are quite complex. 

Rural Mental Health Workforce
Workforce shortages of mental health providers are particularly severe in rural and low-income sections of the country. Many counties lack a single mental health prescriber. There are a broad range of strategies being used to address the shortages and strengthen the rural workforce, as well as numerous resources to assist in these efforts. 

Supervision & Coaching
There is a strong tradition regarding the supervision of individuals who provide mental health services. While the need for supervision of the workforce has never been greater, the practice has eroded during the last few decades. Professional associations, academic departments, technical assistance centers, and peer specialist organizations are now attempting to strengthen supervision in our field. 

Training Methods and Strategies
Training is often considered the primary form of workforce development. The historical focus on training as imparting information in a classroom setting has evolved into a much more complex approach that encompasses the following: training content and process tailored to different target audiences; a logic model for changing the professional practice of learners; evidence-based training methods; and advanced learning models that involve training. 

Featured MHTTC Regional Center Resources

Self-Help and Self-Care Resources for Native Americans and Alaska Natives

This document provides information on upcoming trainings and resources regarding self-help and self-care resources for Native Americans and Alaska Natives. 

Empowering Emerging Leaders Throughout New England: Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy (LET(s)Lead)

The Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) LET(s)Lead Academy partnered with the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (New England MHTTC) to offer its academy to emerging leaders with lived experience of recovery in New England from August 2020-April 2021.   Fourteen Fellows graduated from the New England MHTTC LET(s)Lead Academy Learning Community, after completing a 10-week course and working with faculty, staff, and mentors to develop a transformational change project in their community or organization.   Learn more about the impact of this learning community in this report.

Region IV Mental Health Workforce

This brief report begins with an overview of mental health workforce challenges in the region. It then offers strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, as well as shares Region IV resources for mental health professionals.

The Impact of Mental Health on Students & Youth Part 1: Assessing Mental Health in Young People

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Adolescence is a crucial period for developing and maintain social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. An estimated 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, yet these remain underdiagnosed and untreated This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies. The presentation will also examine on the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on youth anxiety. Lastly, the webinar will include shared resources for developing meaningful conversations with youth about mental health and seeking professional help. Learning Objectives: Participants will learn: Key factors in assessing a young person with mental illness What the early stages of mental illness look like Guidance and tips for effective treatment   Target Audience:  School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents Speaker:  Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.

The Impact of Mental Health on Students & Youth Part 2: Virtual Signs of Serious Mental Health Problems

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Today’s youth are facing new and ongoing trauma-producing challenges, including the disruption of normal school life caused by COVID-19, financial and social emotional problems at home, and the stressful, systemic realities of racial injustice. The result: students are experiencing more depression and anxiety than ever before. This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies. Learning Objectives: Participants will learn: Key virtual warning signs of mental health challenge How to address mental health concerns with youth and caregiver. Target Audience: School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents Speaker:  Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.  

The Impact of Mental Health on Students & Youth Part 3: Youth, Social Distancing, and Anxiety in the time of COVID-19

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Youth are increasingly battling COVID-19 while experiencing social isolation, loss of connections, loneliness and mental illness in record numbers. In a recent nationwide survey half of all college and high school-age students report being worried about their own mental health due to the pandemic. This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies. Learning Objectives Review data on how COVID-19 has increased feelings of isolation and anxiety in youth Discuss strategies for managing fear and anxiety in a time of social isolation   Target Audience:  School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents Speaker:  Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.  

The Impact of Mental Health on Students & Youth Part 4: How to Have Meaningful Conversations with Youth about Mental Health

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Youth who feel supported during a difficult time typically are better equipped to deal with a mental health challenge and have better chances for healing and recovery. Caregivers play an important role in being able to help youth who are struggling with mental health problems. This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies.   Learning Objectives This workshop will present: Tools for recognizing and talking about mental health with youth The importance of utilizing non-judgmental listening Guidance on supporting youth who are reluctant to have a conversation   Target Audience  School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents   Speaker   Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.

Strategies for Advancing Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in the Pacific Southwest's (HHS Region 9) Mental Health Workforce

This guide provides practical strategies for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in your mental health organization or agency. Highlighting the specific cultures and communities of the Pacific Southwest region, this guide includes concrete examples, tools, and research-informed strategies. The guide is organized into three sections: recruitment, hiring, and retention. Each section includes a series of recommendations to help employers develop and maintain a workforce that is reflective of diverse communities and responsive to their needs.
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