We aim to expand Washington’s behavioral health workforce and increase access to evidence-informed behavioral health treatment that is culturally responsive, appropriate and timely. We do this through the introduction of a new bachelor-prepared provider type called a Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS).
The BHSS Clinical Training Program shares in the University of Washington and UW Medicine Core Values:
- Integrity, respect, and compassion
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Innovation
- Excellence
Strategic Priorities for this work include:
- Practice timely, clear and effective communication with education partners and community members.
- Construct outstanding and useful curricular resources to prepare a BHSS for clinical practice.
- Prepare approved supervisors for success with BHSS trainees.
- Develop strategies to recruit, support, and maintain practicum and employer relationships.
- Explore policy and payment solutions that sustain a BHSS in employment settings.
- Implement methods of evaluation to engage in continuous program improvement.
The idea to create a new member of the Washington State behavioral health workforce called a Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS) originated at the 2018 Washington State Mental Health Summit. Dr. Anna Ratzliff discussed the lack of access to behavioral healthcare when people needed it, a severe behavioral health workforce shortage and the importance of innovative solutions. Concurrently, the Washington State Bree Collaborative issued a report on the need for expanded behavioral health workforce within integrated care settings and the division of Health Systems Quality Assurance issued a sunrise review requested by the Washington State Legislature to assess and analyze the need for a bachelor-level behavioral health practitioner in Washington State.
UW faculty looked to both national and international models that have successfully increased workforce and access to evidence-informed interventions for depression and anxiety. One example was the Improving Access to Psychology Therapies (IAPT) model in England renamed in 2023 to Talking Therapies for Depression and Anxiety. This model focused initially on building a sustainable workforce to address the needs of the general population and reduce the health risks of untreated low to moderate depression or anxiety. One essential piece of the IAPT model was the presence of a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner who receives education and training to provide low-intensity, evidence-based, culturally responsive interventions under supervision in a team-based environment. England’s IAPT model serves as proof of concept that when the right intervention occurs at the right time at the right dose, depressive and anxious symptoms can be alleviated rather than risk deterioration due to lack of access to care.
In 2020, the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences received a gift from Ballmer Group to develop curricular materials to train a BHSS as well as identify pathways toward scaling the role for Washington State. A particular focus of the gift was to build behavioral health workforce in rural and under resourced regions of the state. The UW BHSS Clinical Training Program launched in July 2021 and will continue through the end of 2026. The BHSS Clinical Training Program serves as a catalyst for this new workforce role and consults with educational programs, practicum sites, professional associations, professional advocacy groups, employers, policy groups, payers and government regulatory agencies. A goal for the BHSS workforce project is to train 50 students and employ 40 BHSSs by 2026.
On May 4, 2023, Governor Inslee signed SSB 5189 sponsored by Senator Yasmin Trudeau of Tacoma to establish a Behavioral Health Support Specialist in Washington State. The legislation requires the Department of Health to establish a BHSS credential by January 1, 2025 and for the Health Care Authority to include the BHSS in Medicaid reimbursement plans.
The BHSS project receives funding from the Ballmer Group to explore, design, develop, and implement curriculum for a BHSS in Washington.