As funding, workforce and access challenges persist, the future of behavioral health could hinge on partnerships and cross-industry collaboration to weather the storm.
“The future of children’s behavioral health will rise or fall on our ability to work across traditional boundaries,” Jim Serratt, CEO of Tulsa, Okla.-based Parkside Psychiatric Hospital and Clinic, told Becker’s. “A school counselor, a pediatrician and a child psychiatrist should be able to see the same picture of a child’s needs in real time, not weeks apart. That kind of integration changes everything — turning multiple crisis admissions and emergency room visits into early interventions.”
Jason Barker, CEO of Nashua, N.H.-based ABA Centers, sees autism care as a clear example of where this kind of collaboration is needed.
“The cross-industry collaborations that will make or break autism care over the next decade are those that close the widening gap between the skyrocketing number of children diagnosed with autism and workforce capacity,” he said.
Mr. Barker stressed that supporting behavioral healthcare requires coordination across higher education, health systems, payers and state agencies.
“[We] must work together to expand [board certified behavior analyst] training pipelines, offer tuition incentives and create apprenticeship models, while also developing career pathways that keep talent in local markets,” he said. “Behavioral health’s success will depend on these coordinated efforts to grow the autism care workforce.”
But talent is only part of the equation.
“Housing, food, and justice systems, that are facing fire every day, all play into whether a child can truly heal,” Mr. Barker said. “Treating only the symptoms without addressing those roots is like trying to patch a roof in the middle of an Oklahoma storm. It’s a noble effort, but in the end it’s a disaster and a useless waste of resources. Behavioral health isn’t a single sector’s problem, it’s everybody’s opportunity.”
Both leaders underscored the role of technology as a tool for care expansion.
“Behavioral health must use technology as an enabler — rather than a replacement -– for real people delivering compassionate, evidence-based care,” Mr. Barker said.
Mr. Serratt echoed the point: “Telehealth, AI-based tools, even wearable safety devices will either expand access or deepen the divide. The make-or-break test is whether we align innovation with compassion. If industries come together around access, safe privacy communication and sustainability, the next decade can be a story of transformation for children’s mental health. If we don’t, we’ll be explaining to the next generation why we missed the moment.”
