by Zachary Ammerman | Feb 10, 2025 | Playbook, Policy
In 2023, a significant number of Indiana’s youth faced severe mental health challenges. Nearly half of high school students reported experiencing depression, and a quarter of them had gone as far as developing a plan for suicide. This highlights the urgent need for mental health support and intervention among young people in the state.
Issues with access to care are widespread. In 2024, more than 65% of Indiana adolescents with depression were unable to access care. All of Indiana’s 92 counties contain a federally designated mental health workforce shortage. Without sufficient capacity to address concerning mental health issues, children and youth run the risk of falling through the cracks. Schools are uniquely positioned to support overall student well-being because they serve as a consistent point of access within their communities. Indiana law requires schools provide several services intended to support the mental, emotional, and behavioral health and wellness of students including student assistance services.
These services are required to be provided by professionals licensed by the Indiana Department of Education (DOE), including school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists. While schools are authorized in statute to support students’ emotional and behavioral health, anecdotal reports indicate difficulties with school-based behavioral health workforce capacity.
Currently, state level data is limited and does not include information related to services. More information is needed to support and elevate these integral workers. Recognizing this gap in necessary information, the DOE, with support from Indiana Department of Health, administered a pulse check survey to school counselors, social workers, and psychologists. Findings from this pulse check are included here, as well as recommendations for next steps.
Download the full PDF of the report here or check out the interactive version below (PDF also follows the interactive version below).
See the full report with our findings in the PDF below:
by Zachary Ammerman | Oct 8, 2024 | Data, Playbook
As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Week (Oct. 6-12), and World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy would like to highlight our ongoing efforts to analyze and strengthen Indiana’s behavioral health workforce.
Key Findings on Indiana’s Behavioral Health Workforce:
- As of 2022, Indiana had 10,503 active BHHS professionals serving Hoosiers, of which 9,449 were included in our reporting sample
- These include social workers (61.7%), mental health counselors (28.5%), marriage and family therapists (6.9%), and addiction counselors (2.9%)
- The workforce is predominantly female (83.1%), with an average age of 46.3 years
- 71.6% of BHHS professionals report providing telehealth services
- However, all 92 counties in Indiana have federally designated mental health professional shortage areas
Check out all of the data in our in-depth reports and interactive data visualization below:
To address workforce challenges, the Bowen Center recently led the development of the Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce. This comprehensive project brought together stakeholders to identify opportunities for strengthening the pipeline from education to practice for mental health professionals.
The Playbook provides recommendations in four key areas:
- Securing the Pipeline: Strategies include growing awareness of mental health careers among youth, addressing training “deserts” in underserved areas, and expanding psychiatry residencies and psychology internships.
- Strengthening Clinical Training: Recommendations focus on expanding clinical experiences, elevating the role of professional supervisors, and creating incentives for clinical training.
- Aligning Education, Policy, and Practice: The Playbook suggests creating new positions to streamline licensing processes and ensuring evidence-based practices are integrated into education and continuing training.
- Assessing School-Based Behavioral Health: Recognizing the critical need for youth mental health services, the Playbook recommends enhanced data collection on school-based behavioral health professionals.
These recommendations provide a roadmap for policymakers, educators, employers, and professionals to strengthen Indiana’s mental health workforce. It is crucial to remember that data and policy choices about mental health care in Indiana have real-life impacts for thousands of Hoosiers in their everyday lives.
Read more about the Playbook on our dedicated webpage here.
Data Visualization on the Hoosier BHHS Workforce:
by Zachary Ammerman | Oct 4, 2024 | Events, News, Playbook
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Hannah L. Maxey, Director of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research & Policy, has been recognized by Indiana University’s Department of Family Medicine in the IU School of Medicine with a faculty award for her “Outstanding Commitment to Community Engagement and Service.” This prestigious honor, made even more significant by her nomination from colleagues and fellow faculty members, highlights Dr. Maxey’s exceptional contributions to the field of health workforce research in policy, both at home in Indiana and beyond.
Dr. Maxey’s recognition stems in part from her pivotal role in spearheading the recent “Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce,” a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing critical workforce shortages in mental and behavioral health across Indiana. This strategic roadmap, developed under Dr. Maxey’s leadership, brings together insights from academic institutions, policymakers, and healthcare providers to create actionable recommendations for strengthening Indiana’s mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline. The Playbook, rooted in extensive research and data-driven insights conducted by the Bowen Center, identifies key challenges and opportunities within the workforce pipeline.
Dr. Maxey’s work exemplifies the Bowen Center’s dedication to community-focused research and policy development. Her efforts are poised to make a significant difference in addressing Indiana’s mental health workforce challenges, with the ultimate goal of improving access to mental and behavioral health services for Hoosiers across the state.
We congratulate Dr. Maxey on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to the continued positive impact of her work on Indiana’s healthcare landscape. Her leadership and dedication serve as an inspiration to us all and reinforce the importance of community engagement in driving meaningful change in public health.
Read more about the Playbook here.
by Zachary Ammerman | Sep 12, 2024 | News, Playbook
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey
The Bowen Center’s Playbook for tackling Indiana’s mental health workforce crisis is featured in a new article from WFYI Indianapolis.
The opening paragraph of the story sums up the crisis in Indiana well:
Over 1 million adults in Indiana have a mental health condition, and 345,000 of adults who need mental health care don’t receive it. Statistics are also bleak for children. Suicide is the leading cause of death among adolescents in the state and 54% of Indiana kids aged 12–17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year.
Bowen Director Dr. Hannah Maxey sat down for an interview with WFYI reporters to go in-depth on our concrete plan for tackling the issue head-on.
“Not all of our workforce provides services to Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Hannah Maxey, lead author of the report and director of Indiana University’s Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy. “So even in a county where we might have seemingly enough professionals, that doesn’t mean that they’re available for the full population.”
Read the full article from WFYI here.
Indiana’s mental health care is in crisis, with both real-life impacts on the everyday lives of millions of Hoosiers and for the long-term economic outlook of our state. Our Playbook tackles that crisis head-on, offering concrete policy solutions to increase the number of mental health care workers in Indiana. Find out more here.
by Zachary Ammerman | Sep 10, 2024 | News, Playbook
Zoe Frantz, ICCMHC President and CEO
We are thrilled to announce that earlier this summer the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers (ICCMHC) officially committed to supporting Bowen’s Playbook for Enhancing Indiana’s Mental and Behavioral Health Workforce. This endorsement marks a significant step forward in addressing the critical workforce challenges facing the mental health sector in Indiana. The ICCMHC’s commitment, announced on July 15, 2024, aligns perfectly with our mission to enhance the quality and accessibility of mental health services across the state.
Zoe Frantz, President & CEO of Indiana Council, emphasized the importance of this commitment, stating the following:
“Our commitment to the Bowen Health Workforce Playbook is a significant step towards ensuring that Indiana’s mental health workforce is prepared to meet the growing and evolving needs of our communities.”
Read their full press release here.
We are confident that this collaboration will lead to meaningful improvements in the availability and quality of mental health services throughout Indiana.
Indiana’s mental health care is in crisis, with both real-life impacts on the everyday lives of millions of Hoosiers and for the long-term economic outlook of our state. Our Playbook tackles that crisis head-on, offering concrete policy solutions to increase the number of mental health care workers in Indiana. To learn more about the Playbook and its strategies, visit The Playbook home page.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient mental health workforce for Indiana.
by Zachary Ammerman | Sep 9, 2024 | News, Playbook
Bowen’s Playbook to tackle the crisis in Indiana’s mental health is gaining traction and getting attention around Indiana. Read this latest in this article from Inside Indiana Business:
The Indiana University School of Medicine’s Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy has developed a playbook of recommendations to boost the number of mental health professionals in the state.
Read more on the Inside Indiana Business website here.
Indiana’s mental health care is in crisis, with both real-life impacts on the everyday lives of millions of Hoosiers and for the long-term economic outlook of our state. Our Playbook tackles that crisis head-on, offering concrete policy solutions to increase the number of mental health care workers in Indiana. Find out more here.
