Supporting Mental Health, Tackling Care Shortages

Many areas in Washington are federally designated as mental health care shortage areas. A new job type, Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS), has been created to address these shortages. These specialists will be trained at the bachelor’s degree level and provide care for patients with mild to moderate mental health concerns. Colleges and universities throughout the state have already started offering training programs. Part of the training involves using an intelligent tutoring system (AI) developed here at UW. Dr. Anna Ratzliff and Dr. Bill O’Connell discuss the BHSS Clinical Training Program.

• Supporting Mental Health, Tackling Care Shortages