Revolutionizing the Behavioral Health Workforce: A Critical Role for Philanthropy  

For decades, the United States has consistently failed to provide essential mental health and substance use care to Americans. A central reason is that the people integral to delivering care are not accessible to the individuals and families when and where they need them. 

Poor mental health and mental illnesses, especially when untreated, often co-occur with substance use disorders. In this paper, we refer to these conditions as “behavioral health” and the systems that serve them as “behavioral health systems.” A behavioral health “workforce crisis” has been acknowledged in virtually every major assessment of the nation’s failing systems, recognizing that without a well-trained and accessible workforce, all efforts at transformation are likely to fail. 

Philanthropy is uniquely positioned to identify and accelerate solutions to this urgent problem alongside important ongoing efforts by public officials and other private sector leaders.

At a recent convening hosted by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing (National Council), leaders from government, universities, philanthropy, and civil society convened to share what they are doing to optimize access to behavioral health services through various workforce strategies.

Read and download the full convening summary below to learn more about the role of philanthropy in revolutionizing the behavioral health workforce.