Behavioral Health Programs

Behavioral Health Workforce Initiatives

Community Health Worker Training

If you enjoy building trusting relationships and helping people navigate complex systems, the Community Health Worker role might be a good fit. Community Health Workers have a shared culture, ethnicity, and language of the people that they serve. Community Health workers help people connect with health and behavioral health services and serve as a bridge between communities and healthcare systems. Learn more about our free training program for Community Health Workers.

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Behavioral Health Technician Training

If you enjoy helping people, a career as a Behavioral Health Technician may be right for you. Working as a behavioral health technician, you will make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with mental health needs. This role is a great place to start your career and can lead to other in demand jobs such as therapist or counselor. Learn more about our free training program for Behavioral Health Technicians.

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Behavioral Health Workforce

The Metro South/West Workforce Board is working with State, regional and local entities to strengthen the behavioral health workforce. The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Roadmap, introduced by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services in 2021 and implemented in 2023 highlights the prevalent need for behavioral health services and the increasing demand for licensed clinicians to adequately serve residents. In response to and guided by our own recently codified strategic plan and the Greater Boston Regional Planning Blueprint, the Workforce Board has identified behavioral health as a priority focus area.

Our Work

In 2022, the Workforce Board launched a multi-year regional effort with the Boston and Metro North Workforce Boards to increase the number of licensed mental health clinicians in the workforce by supporting employer’s efforts to provide clinical supervision to incumbent workers. In addition, with the input of employer partners, we developed a strategic plan to guide our work over the next three years, focusing on the most prevalent needs of behavioral health employers in greater Boston.

In 2023 the Workforce Board received a three-year grant from Boston Children’s Hospital to provide teen Mental Health First Aid certification training to youth in Framingham Needham and Waltham. teen Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based program that teaches teens ages 15-18, how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers. Click here for more information about teen Mental Health First Aid.

In 2024 the Workforce Board was the recipient of a three-year grant from Commonwealth Corporation to:

  1. Increase the number of entry-level workers in the behavioral health workforce
  2. upskill incumbent behavioral health workers to prepare them for supervisory roles and
  3. Support bachelor’s level behavioral health professionals through the requisite education and training to obtain licensure as Mental Health Counselors.

Behavioral Health Workforce Council

The Behavioral Health Workforce Council is made up of behavioral health employers and workforce development organizations that have an interest in attracting, training, and retaining qualified behavioral health workers at all levels on the employment spectrum. The Council develops regional priorities, identifies funding opportunities, and acts as a unified voice, promoting the needs and challenges of behavioral health employers to regional stakeholders.

Our Partners

Strategic Plan Recommendations

The Council recently completed its recommendations for the region over the next three years.

Recommendation: Increase the number of workers newly entering the behavioral health field. Develop a pipeline for behavioral health professions focused on the future workforce by engaging youth in training and career exploration opportunities focused on behavioral health professions.

Recommendation: Address barriers to employment by identifying existing and new resources to support workers such as funding opportunities and developing strategic partnerships.

Recommendation: Mitigate contributing factors of the labor shortage by promoting best practices for senior level/supervisor employee retention and developing mentorship opportunities for entry to mid-level staff.

Recommendation: Increase access to training at all levels of the behavioral health career ladder by working with education partners to increase the availability of affordable certificate and degree options for entry and mid-level workers.

Behavioral Health Workforce Assessment

In 2023, the Workforce Board partnered with University of Massachusetts Donahue Center to develop a study benchmarking the current state for the behavioral health sector in the Greater Boston region. The report provides a high-level landscape assessment of the industry including the demographic makeup of the workforce, employment trends in the sector and current issues/barriers to individuals seeking employment in the behavioral health field.

View a copy of the full report
Learn more about labor market trends in behavioral health