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:
- BHHS Data Dashboard
- BHHS Workforce Policy Brief
- BHHS Workforce Diversity Report
- BHHS Workforce Demand Brief
- BHHS Workforce Data Report
Spotlight on Recent Initiatives: The Playbook Project
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.