Any conversation about improving California’s behavioral health system must include a discussion of the workforce. In survey after survey, Californians say they have to wait too long for mental health and substance use treatment appointments. When they do reach providers, clients may find they don’t “match” on language or cultural characteristics. To meet clients’ needs, California must recruit and retain significantly more behavioral health professionals who reflect their clients’ racial and ethnic diversity, linguistic diversity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, particularly among substance use disorder providers.

Beginning before COVID-19 and accelerating since, California has been making significant investments in both licensed and unlicensed behavioral health practitioners. As in other parts of the health care infrastructure, coordinated and sustained investment in education and training is needed to ensure that all Californians have access to high-quality care from people prepared to meet their needs.

CHCF’s work on the behavioral health workforce includes research to understand the gaps in workforce supply and pipeline, evaluations of innovative workforce models, and investments in training for both behavioral health and primary care workforces so they can better provide the mental health and substance use care that Californians need.