By 2037, researchers predict the workforce will face significant shortages for behavioral health providers — from substance use disorder and mental health counselors to psychiatrists and physician assistants. Leaders from seven systems shared with Becker’s how they are expanding pipelines, strengthening training programs and building connections through communities to fill the widening gap.
As demand for behavioral health services continues to outpace workforce capacity, how is your organization rethinking how to attract, retain and support behavioral health professionals — and what specific strategies are you putting in place to make those changes sustainable?
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Bernard Jones. Vice President of Behavioral and Mental Health for Mass General Brigham (Somerville, Mass.): Mass General Brigham is advancing a coordinated strategy to strengthen recruitment, retention and career development. Our system has expanded key pipeline initiatives, including a post-baccalaureate clinical fellowship founded at McLean Hospital, a HRSA-funded Pathways to Paraprofessional Success program at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and a three-year Commonwealth Corporation grant to support incumbent MGB staff interested in pursuing a career in mental health — all of which are designed to create structured entry points for individuals pursuing behavioral health careers. Through our Community Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program, we also partner with community health centers and academic institutions to provide salary supplements, loan forgiveness and mentorship. To sustain all these efforts, we are building a unified data and reporting framework and leveraging a Behavioral Health Workforce Council to track progress and align best practices.
Christina Mayfield. Director of Behavioral Health Services for Mary Greeley Medical Center (Ames, Iowa): We’re focused on cultivating talent from within. Many of our team members begin their careers as psychiatric assistants, and we actively support their growth by providing tuition assistance for nursing, social work and even psychiatric nurse practitioner programs. We’ve also expanded our commitment to education by welcoming more students than ever and hiring interns to take on important projects that might otherwise go untouched. Retention ultimately comes down to culture and connection. Creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported and aligned with their strengths makes all the difference. By building strong relationships and placing the right people in the right roles, we set both our employees and our organization up for lasting success.
Maggie Music. Chief Human Resource Officer for Psychiatric Medical Care (Nashville, Tenn.): Psychiatric Medical Care has made flexibility, culture and sustainability the foundations of a strategy to attract, retain and support behavioral health professionals. We’ve expanded recruitment beyond traditional methods by partnering with universities and training programs, offering internship-to-employment pathways and creating career advancement tracks for clinical staff. We also emphasize flexible scheduling and hybrid options where possible, allowing clinicians to balance professional and personal commitments.
PMC has improved behavioral health provider retention by strengthening our onboarding and training programs, so new team members feel confident and supported from day one. We invest heavily in ongoing professional development, including leadership training, clinical supervision and tuition assistance, to foster continuous growth. Equally important, we prioritize work-life balance and employee well-being. Our initiatives focus on manageable caseloads, regular team check-ins and collaborative discussions to reduce isolation and provide mental health resources for our own staff. By creating a culture that values transparency and respect, we aim to reduce burnout and foster engagement.
To ensure these efforts endure, we’re leveraging technology and process innovation. By optimizing documentation workflows, expanding telehealth capabilities and implementing data-informed staffing models, we help clinicians devote more time to care delivery and less to administrative tasks. Our goal is to make behavioral health a profession that feels both meaningful and sustainable. We want our providers to thrive while they help meet the growing mental health needs of the communities we serve.
Dan Peterson. CEO of Sutter Health Behavioral Health Services at the Sutter Center for Psychiatry (Sacramento, Calif.): Collaboration with our behavioral health clinicians has been essential in shaping our approach to workforce development. Together, we’re focusing on expanding remote and virtual care options, investing in training and professional development, and advancing group-based care models that help extend access and meet patient needs more effectively.
Nick Stavros. CEO of Community Medical Services (Scottsdale, Ariz.): At Community Medical Services, we believe the best way to attract top behavioral health professionals is by ensuring our brand represents operational excellence and authentic community engagement. Rather than relying on traditional hiring tactics — posting ads and screening applicants — we focus on building strong local reputations through quality care and visible leadership. Our clinic leaders are active in their communities, connecting with value-aligned individuals long before a job posting goes live. We’re also expanding partnerships with graduate programs and training sites to help build a sustainable pipeline of future talent that already knows and believes in our mission.
Retention begins with listening. We use tools like our Good Job Score to measure how employees feel about their work and identify areas for improvement. We’re investing in clearer career pathways, more realistic job previews and structured mentorship programs to reduce early stage turnover and foster long-term growth. By helping people understand both the challenges and rewards of our work — and showing them a future with us — we aim to ensure they stay for the right reasons.
Finally, we’re leveraging technology and AI not to replace our workforce but to empower it. By automating documentation and administrative work, clinicians can focus on what only humans can do: building trust, delivering care and changing lives. We’re also using data to identify early signs of burnout and provide proactive support. These efforts — combined with flexible scheduling, trauma-informed supervision and a culture of recognition — help create a more resilient workforce and a sustainable model of compassionate care.
Harsh Trivedi, MD. President and CEO of Sheppard Pratt (Towson, Md.): At Sheppard Pratt, we recognize that as the demand for behavioral health services outpaces the available workforce, we need to think differently about how we attract, retain and support our workforce. We’re rethinking every stage of the workforce journey and focusing on creating an environment where people want to build their careers for the long term.
This begins on their first day with our in-person Welcome Day. New employees from across our programs come together to be introduced to Sheppard Pratt. Welcome Day is a new employee’s formal introduction to the organization and an opportunity for them to learn more about us, feel comfortable in their role and be set up for success. New employees have 30-, 60- and 90-day check-ins to ensure they feel supported.
To attract new professionals, we’re investing in workforce development from the ground up. We’re building relationships with colleges and universities to inspire students to pursue careers in behavioral health, and we have expanded our fellowship, residency and externship programs to provide hands-on knowledge, training and peer learning.
Employees have access to our Center for Professional Education, which offers free continuing education online, in person and on demand. The offerings include accredited continuing medical education courses for physicians and continuing education credits for specialists such as behavioral health nurses, social workers, psychologists and counselors.
We’ve also enhanced leadership training to better equip managers to support their teams, have professional development training and invest in mentorship.
Dawn Zieger. Vice President of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Geisinger (Danville, Pa.): Virtual care has been an evolving strategy for us. With clinical services in 23 counties and mental health workforce shortages, virtual care has enabled us to build a virtual backbone to our longstanding integrated care programs. Geisinger recently adapted the concept of an integrated practice unit to organize resources around the patient and their community.
This shift has created regionalized local and virtual teams who work together within specific communities. Not only does this help us create a stronger local ecosystem, but it also creates a team-based approach where providers are a part of a group of colleagues who create support for each other — similar to what naturally happens when working together in an office. Our goal is to provide a compelling employment opportunity where providers don’t feel isolated, whether integrated into primary care or providing virtual care from another state.
From a workforce development perspective, the Abigail Geisinger Scholars program is helping us build a pipeline of future psychiatrists. The Abigail Scholars program covers the cost of medical school at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine for individuals who become psychiatrists and commit to stay in our communities. We also continue to evolve our training programs for addiction medicine, psychology and social work to do our part in helping grow the mental health workforce.
Lastly, we are assessing care model opportunities to reach more patients with highly constrained resources. We are increasing our group offerings with the goal of 20% of therapy being delivered through groups. Geisinger is also implementing collaborative care both in primary care and addiction medicine to help support more patients with psychiatric medication needs.
