The number of designated mental health professional shortage areas increased from 6,418 in 2024 to 6,807 as of Dec. 31, while the estimated number of practitioners needed to eliminate those shortages rose from about 6,200 to 6,800. In response to increased demand and workforce shortages, states and health systems are developing new roles and training pathways, expanding access to behavioral healthcare.
Here are three new behavioral health roles to know:
1. Behavioral health and wellness practitioners: Oregon and Nevada passed legislation creating a credential for bachelor’s-level behavioral health providers, known as behavioral health and wellness practitioners. The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon in Portland launched the first U.S. program to train them.
Its first cohort included 17 students, followed by a second cohort of 15 students, but enrollment is already increasing. Katie McLaughlin, PhD, executive director of the institute, told Becker’s at least 30 students are expected to enter the program as juniors this fall, with at least 50 students projected the following year as demand grows. The program has the capacity to train up to 150 students annually.
The four-year program follows a model similar to a typical bachelor’s program in nursing: two years of general education coursework and two years of specialized behavioral health training. Providers complete 700 hours of clinical training, with a focus on early identification and prevention-focused behavioral health services in settings where children already are, including schools, pediatric primary care practices and community organizations.
With just a bachelor’s degree, providers graduate with hands-on experience identifying behavioral health challenges and delivering interventions to prevent challenges from escalating into crises, Dr. McLaughlin said. In many behavioral health training programs, students complete coursework but graduate with limited clinical experience.
2. Behavioral health security specialists: Roanoke, Va.-based Carilion Clinic launched a behavioral health security specialist pilot in January 2025 with six specialists at its Roanoke facility. The system expanded the program to its New River Valley facility in April 2025, placing five specialists at the hospital, Lisa Dishner, DNP, RN, senior director of nursing for the department of psychiatric and behavioral health medicine, told Becker’s.
In Roanoke, staff injuries fell by 70%, police and security calls dropped 80%, and workers’ compensation payments declined 69%, generating $2,800 in savings. The Christiansburg, Va.-based New River Valley facility saw a 90% reduction in staff injuries, a 62% drop in police and security calls and a 96% decrease in workers’ comp payments, saving $8,770.
Specialists complete Crisis Prevention Institute training through Carilion Clinic, Crisis Intervention Team training through the police academy and unit-based orientation alongside mental health clinicians. Total training time is about 80 hours, according to police captains. Some specialists previously worked as psychiatric technicians before transitioning into the role, according to Dr. Dishner.
Specialists wear polo shirts and are positioned as part of the care environment rather than an enforcement presence. The role focuses on de-escalation as a primary tool, with training in verbal techniques and relationship building, she said.
3. Substance use and behavioral health navigators: Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — which has nearly 1,000 beds and handled more than 130,000 emergency visits in 2025 — invested in substance use disorder navigators.
The role helps patients identify the resources they need to remain connected to substance use disorder services and their community. The approach is designed to reduce care fragmentation across the system, Itai Danovitch, MD, chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, told Becker’s.
Navigators at the center do not provide psychotherapy services. Instead, they serve as nonclinical, peer-based supporters who focus on engagement and trust-building, he said.
The navigator role is especially impactful for health systems that see the same patients repeatedly returning to the emergency department, Tracey Izzard, vice president of behavioral health services at Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Health, told Becker’s.
At Sentara, navigators focus primarily on bedside consultation, identifying resources and providing bedside therapeutic interventions. Launched in May 2025, the system currently employs one manager and 10 full-time navigators deployed across its hospitals.
Before the navigator role was implemented, the average emergency department length of stay was 2,740 minutes. In the first few months after implementation, it dropped to 2,090 minutes, Ms. Izzard said. Thirty-day readmission rates also fell from 14.1% to 7.3% when navigators were engaged before discharge. Without navigators, 26.2% of patients returned; with navigators, the rate dropped to 14%.
At the Becker's Fall Behavioral Health Summit, taking place November 4–5 in Chicago, behavioral health leaders and executives will explore strategies for expanding access to care, integrating services, addressing workforce challenges and leveraging innovation to improve outcomes across the behavioral health continuum. Apply for complimentary registration now.
