The Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center is engaged in several projects designed to improve data collection, estimate workforce size and composition, and assess practice activities for all workers involved in prevention and/or treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. Center projects address three focus areas.
Completed Research Projects
A Descriptive Analysis of Peer Provider Practice Settings, Scopes of Practice, and Reimbursement
A peer provider is defined by SAMHSA as “a person who uses his or her lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or addiction, plus skills learned in formal training to deliver services in behavioral health settings to promote mind-body recovery and resiliency.” They are a growing subset of the workforce that…
Read MoreBehavioral Health Provider Shortages and Reimbursement Parity
Lack of access to mental health professionals is growing problem for those relying on Medicaid and/or Medicare for health needs. Behavioral health care is now considered the country’s most costly health condition, with an estimated annual cost…
Read MoreBehavioral Health Services Capacity of Primary Care Physicians
This project seeks to understand which behavioral health services primary care physicians currently provide for their clients and how often they do so.
Read MoreBehavioral Health Workforce Minimum Data Set for Mental Health Counselors
Mental health counselors are the third largest segment of the behavioral health workforce and represent a profession that is projected to grow by 23% through 2026.14 Enumeration estimates place these counselors at between 134,000 and 166,000, depending on the source.
Read MoreFactors that Influence Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services
Given the dramatic increase in opioid-related overdoses and substance use disorders (SUD), the need for greater access to treatment is significant. Medications in conjunction with the psychosocial and recovery support services (medication-assisted treatment (MAT)) and other SUD treatment services often remain underutilized…
Read MoreFinancing Behavioral Health Integration and Collaborative Care Models
Novel approaches to providing access to behavioral health care, like collaborative care and integrated behavioral health primary and social care models, have shown short and long-term positive patient and family outcomes in frontier, rural, and urban communities. These approaches are complex and rely upon coordination…
Read MoreStrengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
esults from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate a gap between the U.S. population in need of mental health and addiction treatment services and those who actually receive them. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) were created in response to this…
Read MoreThe Behavioral Health Workforce in Rural America: Developing a National Recruitment Strategy
Nationally, rural American communities have some of the largest need for behavioral health care providers and yet the lowest availability.
Read MoreDistribution of Psychiatric-Subspecialities in the Behavioral Health Workforce
A shortage and maldistribution of psychiatrists is of critical concern within the behavioral health workforce.
Read MoreMapping the Psychiatric Workforce Using the MDS
The demand for behavioral health care and substance use disorder services has increased, and the factors prompting this higher demand directly impact psychiatric workforce capacity.
Read MoreNational Study of Behavioral Health Service Delivery in Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Rural areas disproportionately experience mental health professional shortages.
Read MoreNurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Provision of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Survey of Knowledge, Engagement, and Perceptions
This project will explore if the passing of CARA has encouraged more NPs and PAs to apply for a buprenorphine waiver as well as perceived barriers to applying for the buprenorphine waiver and prescribing MAT.
Read MoreSchool-based Health Centers as a Behavioral Health Service Setting
The proposed study seeks to expand on the information collected from the 2015-2016 National Census of School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) by identifying the range of school based behavioral health services.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Roles of Peer Providers, Addiction Counselors, and Community Health Workers in Behavioral Health
Various behavioral health providers often have overlapping scopes of practice that easily go overlooked, as they are generally not educated together, nor do they practice in cooperative settings.
Read MoreUtilizing the MDS for Human Resources Planning
The Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center (BHWRC) developed a workforce MDS for the broad field of behavioral health in 2015-2016.
Read MoreWhere is Behavioral Health Integration Occurring Using NPI Data to Map National Trends
Integrated care, wherein physical and behavioral health needs are treated collaboratively, has resulted in improved patient-level outcomes and has increased screening and treatment of behavioral health disorders within primary care settings by reducing barriers like stigma, access, and accessibility.
Read MoreA Descriptive Analysis of State Credentials for Mental Health Counselors/Professional Counselors
Over 144,000 Mental Health Counselors (MHCs) are active across the United States, and an estimated 19% growth is expected in the field over the next 10 years.
Read MoreBehavioral Health Workforce Changes and the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has extended health insurance coverage to nearly seventeen million people, the majority of which has come through the expansion of Medicaid for low-income individuals.
Read MoreCharacterization of Marriage and Family Therapists Using the MDS
This project seeks to collect data on variables to better characterize the Marriage and Family Therapist workforce such as demographic composition, practice characteristics, job functions, and settings where services are being delivered.
Read MoreCharacterization of Social Workers Using the MDS
This project will focus on developing a methodology and recommendations for implementing a national data collection system.
Read MoreDevelopment of an Organizational-level MDS for the Behavioral Health Workforce
The Center’s other MDS projects focus on individual-level behavioral health workforce data collection; however, this project seeks to create an additional instrument targeted to the organization-level that would assess workforce issues by provider organization.
Read MoreImpact of Telehealth on SOPs
Telehealth use among behavioral health providers has increased substantially in recent years.
Read MoreRecruitment and Retention of a Diverse Health Service Psychology Workforce
Studies show that behavioral health providers who share a racial or cultural identity with their patients exhibit higher treatment effectiveness and retention rates that providers who do not.
Read MoreSOP Issues Related to Medication-Assisted Treatment
The current opioid epidemic has spurred questions about the capacity of the workforce available to provide treatment to individuals with opioid addiction.
Read MoreThe Behavioral Health Workforce in Correctional Facilities
The past three decades have seen dramatic increases of incarcerated individuals in the United States, specifically those being penalized for drug-related offenses.
Read MoreToward a Better Understanding of Social Workers on Integrated Care Delivery Teams
Social workers are recognized as having a key role in the successful implementation of team-based models of care.
Read MoreUse of Telehealth to Strengthen Workforce Capacity
Approximately one in five adult Americans experience a behavioral health disorder each year; however, limited reach of behavioral health services remains a pervasive problem in the United States, especially among rural and underserved populations.
Read MoreAnalysis of Behavioral Health SOPs
Scopes of practice delineate the specific services and functions a health provider is permitted to perform.
Read MoreAssessment of Competencies in Behavioral Health Professions
As the behavioral health workforce continues to expand, increased amounts of resources are being invested in the development of professional competency statements.
Read MoreAssessment of Service Delivery in Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Accessibility and quality of behavioral health services is woefully inadequate in many communities.
Read MoreCase Studies of Team-Based Care Models
There is strong existing evidence to support the development of team-based care (i.e., “integrated care”) for behavioral health and primary care, although adoption is not yet widespread.
Read MoreComprehensive Analysis of Social Worker SOPs
Scopes of Practice (SOPs) help guide professions by establishing guidelines for how a profession is to be practiced.
Read MoreDevelopment of an MDS for the Behavioral Health Workforce
The purpose of this project is to develop a uniform set of measures for the behavioral health workforce that will standardize data collection procedures and improve data quality across occupations and practice settings.
Read MoreMoving Toward a More Diverse Behavioral Health Workforce
Like other health professions in the U.S., the troubling lack of racial and ethnic diversity is one of the key issues of concern for the behavioral health workforce.
Read MoreSOPs and Professional Responsibilities of Paraprofessional Workers
Recent policy changes expanding access to mental health and addiction services for millions of Americans are increasing demand for behavioral health services and reshaping the behavioral health workforce.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Billing Restrictions that Limit SOPs
The payment, reimbursement, and billing issues around behavioral health are substantial.
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