Behavioral Health Professionals Resources

Educational Pathway Resources to Help You Pursue Behavioral Health Professions

 

Wondering what steps are requred to become a behavioral health professional? These websites outline what you need to do for the listed profession:

• Counselor - Licensure, Education, and Accreditation
• Career Paths in Psychology
• Peer Recovery Support Specialist Certification Requirements by State
• Social Work Education at a Glance
• Social Work License - Requirements & Resources
• Substance Abuse Counseling - Education, Certification, Exams
• SAMHSA-NAADAC Addiction Professional Education & Career Ladder
• Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program | Bureau of Health Workforce

 

What does the career of a behavioral health professional look like? These resources provide occupational profiles for behavioral health professionals:

• Child, Family, & School Social Workers
• Healthcare Social Workers
• Mental Health & Substance Abuse Social Workers

 

Rural specific resources for behavioral health professionals:

• National Center for Rural Health Professions - The National Center for Rural Health Professions is home to the Rural Health Professions (RHP) Program and the Illinois Area Health Education Centers Network (AHEC) Program, Native American Pathways Program, and Student Pipeline Programs, which are committed to recruiting and retaining the next generation of rural health professionals. 
• Rural social work program - The Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Education, Learning, & Leadership (BHWELL) Program is a clinical training and certificate program at the University of Illinois for Masters of Social Work for students who want to learn patient-centered, team-based models for integrating health and mental health services in primary care settings in rural and underserved areas in Illinois during their field placement internship. BHWELL is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

 

Selecting the right educational program to match your field of interest:

• Careers of Substance - From a single class to a PhD, there are many educational resources for the addiction professional or someone just exploring the field. CareersofSubstance.org outlines education options for many behavioral health careers.

 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion resources for behavioral health:

• Quality Practice and Workforce Development | SAMHSA
• Behavioral Health Equity | SAMHSA
• LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity Center of Excellence | SAMHSA
• 7 Generations American Indian and Alaska Native Behavioral Health Center of Excellence - free training and technical assistance for behavioral health providers and paraprofessionals serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
• National American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
• Indian Health Service Division of Behavioral Health (IHS DBH)
• Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH)
• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
• National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA)
• Native American Pathways Program - Medical Preceptorship (uic.edu)
• Latino Addiction Counselor Education (LACE) Program - The LACE Program's main goals are to increase: the number of Hispanic/Latino/a/x/e (H/L) individuals with addiction treatment credentials; the H/L community’s access to culturally and linguistically competent care; the capacity of the publicly funded system to H/L treatment outcomes.
• Black Addiction Counselor Education (BACE) Program - The BACE Program trains Black adult learners in addiction/mental health, and supports those interested in attaining Licensure and Certification. The overall goal is to increase the publicly funded treatment system’s capacity to provide culturally relevant services to Black residents of Massachusetts.

 

Find an accredited behavioral health educational program:

• Council on Social Work Education (recognized by the federal government’s Council on Higher Education) which accredits Social Work programs.
• American Psychological Association for psychology programs
• CACREP - accredits over 900 master’s and doctoral degree programs in counseling specialties across the United States.

Examples of State Behavioral Health Pathway Programs and Resources

These websites are state-specific examples of how you may proceed along a behavioral health career pathway within that state.

Be sure to check out the individual 3RNET state pages for a complete list of behavioral health resources available in each state.

 

State-Specific Pathway Programs:

• California - Mental & Behavioral Health Career Pathways
• Colorado - Pediatric Mental Health Training & Pathway Programs:
  • University of Colorado Irving Harris Program in Child Development and Infant Mental Health
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry APRN Fellowship Program with Pediatric Mental Health Institute (PMHI) at Children’s Hospital Colorado
  • Colorado University and Colorado Behavioral Health Administration Hummingbird Initiative
• Connecticut - Health 360, a mental health non-profit for underserved communities in Connecticut
• Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Education Learning and Leadership (BHWELL) Program
• Illinois - National Center for Rural Health Professions 
• Maine - Workforce Development in Maine: Behavioral Health Training
• Massachusettes - Career Paths | Careers of Substance
• Michigan - Healthcare Workforce Initiatives
• Montana - Behavioral Health Training Program
• Pennsylvania - Behavioral Health Training & Education Network 

 

Licensure/Certification Resources

• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Workforce Career Navigator
• Addiction Specialist Degrees, Certifications, and Qualifications
• Counseling - State-by-State Licensure Guide
• SAMHSA's National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification - This document outlines model standards for substance use disorder, mental health, and family/youth peer support certification.
• Social Work Licensure Compact - additional licensing pathway that will facilitate multistate practice among member states and reduce the barriers to license portability. 
• Social Work - State-By-State Licensure Guide
• Substance Abuse Counseling and Addiction Counselors - State-By-State Certification Requirements
• National NCSL Scope of Practice Policy
• MDLR Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project - Online Resource for Licensure of Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Psychologists, and Social Workers which provides up-to-date information on emerging regulation and licensing in each state.
• Association of Social Work Boards
  • Getting licensed in another state or province
  • Licensing requirements by state or province
  • Continuing competence
• Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) - The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (asppb.net) - an interstate compact created to facilitate telehealth and temporary in-person, face-to-face practice of psychology across jurisdictional boundaries.

 

National Behavioral Health Associations

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
• National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH)
• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
• American Psychiatric Association (APA)
• International Nurses Society on Addictions
• National Association for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC)
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• National Council for Mental Wellbeing

 

Behavioral Health Job Boards

• 3RNET
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Careers – national collection of job boards for crisis counselor careers, internships, and volunteer opportunities
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Job Connection
• American Society of Addiction Medicine Career Center
• American Psychiatric Association's Job Central 
• International Nurses Society on Addiction Career Center
• National Association for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors Career Center
• National Association of Social Workers Career Center
• National Council for Behavioral Health’s Job Bank
• Psychologyjobs.com
  
  

National Behavioral Health Professional Organization Events

• Annual Addiction Medicine Conference for General Healthcare Providers and Addictions Professionals
• National Association for Rural Mental Health Annual Conference
• Psych Elevate Congress Annual Meeting
• American Psychiatric Association Mental Health Services Annual Conference
• National Institute of Mental Health Conference and Symposium
• Mental Health America Annual Conference
• NAADAC Annual Conference for addiction professionals
• American Psychological Association Annual Convention
• National Association of Social Workers National Conference

 

National Behavioral Health Resources

• HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)
• Rural SUD Info Center – Rural Substance Use Disorder Resources
• Bureau of Health Workforce (hrsa.gov)