As part of my faculty appointment, I am Director of the Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS) Workforce Development Project. My responsibilities include oversight of curriculum development, practicum guidelines, development of community partnerships and advocacy for reimbursement pathways.

I am working with a talented project team to develop a competency framework and curriculum to prepare a bachelor level Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS). A BHSS will deliver brief, culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions for common mental and behavioral health conditions under supervision in a team-based setting. The BHSS will use a measurement-based care approach to ensure patients are receiving the right level of care at the right dose. Crisis services, integrated care and specialty behavioral healthcare are examples of work environments that will benefit from a BHSS. Our project goal is to support higher educational programs across the state implement the BHSS clinical training program in academic year 25-26. During my time working as a primary care behavioral health consultant, I frequently met with senior patients from diverse backgrounds who had never spoken with a behavioral health provider in their lifetime despite experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of a mental or behavioral health condition. One reason I found unacceptable was lack of access to services. The bachelor level Behavioral Health Support Specialist role is one solution of many to improving access to care and expanding the available workforce.