A Faltering Behavioral Health Workforce and a Prescription for Progress

• By: Ashley Brody, MPA, CPRP Search for Change, Inc.
• January 19th, 2026
• behavioral health workforce, clinician burnout, emotional labor, professional development, recruitment and retention, regulatory challenges, technology in behavioral health, Winter 2026 Issue, workforce shortage
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The behavioral healthcare workforce is under considerable duress and ill equipped to meet a moment marked by unprecedented rates of mental illness, substance dependence, and other indices of human distress. By some measures, approximately half of mental health professionals report burnout because...