Help Wanted: New Survey Highlights Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage

A workforce shortage has made it increasingly difficult for organizations to meet demand for mental health and substance use treatment and care and threatens the wellbeing of all people in the U.S.

That’s why the vast majority of the nation’s behavioral health workforce (83%) is asking state and federal lawmakers to develop policy solutions immediately.

New survey data from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that both behavioral health workers and the general public are concerned they cannot get the care they need because of the workforce shortage. They also expressed concern about the corresponding burden being placed on the behavioral health workforce and the potential that many behavioral health workers will simply leave the field altogether.

In other words: Help wanted.

The timing of the survey is significant. There is enormous bipartisan interest in both the U.S. House and Senate to address the workforce shortage, including initiatives to create loan forgiveness programs, broaden the workforce pipeline and increase retention among current workers. Creating a Behavioral Health Workforce Demonstration to help recruit and retain mental health and substance use treatment staff at provider organizations would also provide more incentives. Given the high turnover and burnout rates, funding options to support retention bonuses, hazard pay and overtime also could help with retention and the wellbeing of behavioral health workers.

We also support additional implementation and increased financing of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) to ensure access to services nationwide. The CCBHC model transforms the traditional reimbursement rate model by allowing clinics to include the actual costs of expanding access to care in their reimbursement rate, including measuring appropriate staffing and service needs unique to their community.

We also know CCBHCs bolster employment because clinics that became CCBHCs hired an average of 27 new positions per clinic and experienced an average 16% increase in their workforce.

Mental health challenges, substance use challenges and the overdose epidemic aren’t going away. It’s the opposite. Demand for mental health care and substance use treatment remains alarmingly high among people of all backgrounds. The devasting effect of the pandemic on young people is especially concerning because the impact of the mental health and substance use challenges they face are likely to have a long tail. However, barriers to access continue to make it harder for people to find the treatment and care they need. So, we’re not surprised the survey found that:

• Around nine in 10 behavioral health workers are concerned about the ability for those not currently receiving care to gain access to care (90%) and the ability to provide care in the event of another health crisis in the future (87%).

• Nearly two in three (65%) reported increased client caseload, and more than seven in 10 (72%) reported increased client severity since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• More than four in five behavioral health workers (83%) worry that workforce shortages in the mental health and substance use industry will negatively impact society as a whole.

• A third of the workforce (33%) reported spending most of their time on administrative tasks, and more than two-thirds (68%) of those who provide care to clients saying the amount of time spent on administrative tasks takes away from time they could be directly supporting their clients. 

As we prepare to observe Mental Health Awareness Month, we urge policymakers to listen to the voices of those in the field. Demand among those with a substance use or mental health challenge has reached historic levels. Provider organizations are having difficulty meeting capacity. Our collective wellbeing depends on the ability of behavioral health organizations to help those who walk through their doors. But that won’t happen unless organizations that provide mental health and substance use treatment and care get the help they need.