Mental health job growth has dropped to the slowest rate since 2021, Bloomberg reported July 7.
Although it is too soon to tell if federal funding cuts to mental health programs are causing the slowdown, many behavioral health organizations are assuming a “defensive posture,” the report said.
Here are five things to know:
- Employment in the mental health industry has more than doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Federal funding spurred some of this growth, according to Bloomberg. Federal programs funded training to expand the workforce and allowed some providers to raise wages for employees.
- The Trump administration has axed $1 billion in pandemic-related mental health grants and funding for school mental health professionals. The administration has also proposed eliminating dozens of federal mental health and substance use disorder programs.
- Kelly Vaillancourt, PhD, director of policy and advocacy for the National Association of School Psychologists, told Bloomberg some school districts have furloughed mental health professionals and frozen hiring.
- A spokesperson for HHS told Bloomberg canceled funding was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the agency remains committed to investing in mental health services.
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