Rationale:
The behavioral health workforce faces critical shortages, with over 40% of providers approaching retirement age, and demand projected to grow 18% by 2028. Traditional credentialing pathways create significant barriers—particularly for individuals from underrepresented communities who possess innate healing capabilities and lived experience but lack access to advanced degrees. Research demonstrates that culturally concordant care improves patient outcomes and engagement, yet representation gaps persist across the workforce.
Dignity in Healing Collective addresses these systemic challenges through a model that intentionally lowers barriers to workforce entry while building sustainable support structures. Our approach recognizes that expanding who can provide behavioral health support—and how they're trained and sustained—is essential to addressing both workforce shortages and representation gaps.
Conference Theme Alignment:
This presentation directly addresses the conference's core questions through an innovative, operational model:

What works clinically? Our care managers demonstrate measurable improvements in patient PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores through dignity-centered, culturally responsive care
What makes it sustainable operationally? The cohort model, ongoing supervision, and peer community structures create retention and prevent burnout
What pays for it? Sub-bachelor's level providers can be integrated into Collaborative Care Management (CoCM) billing structures, creating sustainable revenue pathways

Target Audience:
Integrated care leaders, workforce development professionals, training program directors, clinic administrators, policy advocates, and anyone interested in innovative approaches to behavioral health workforce expansion.
What Attendees Will Learn/Experience:
Participants will gain concrete understanding of an implementable model for training and sustaining non-licensed behavioral health workers. They will leave with frameworks for co-facilitation, cohort building, and ongoing supervision that can be adapted to their settings.

Describe the key components of a co-facilitation training model that pairs licensed providers with non-licensed facilitators to build capacity and representation simultaneously.

Discuss operational strategies for creating sustainable communities of support among care managers, including cohort structures, ongoing consultation, and peer supervision models.

Describe the philosophy and approach of Dignity in Healing training objectives utilizing cultural humility and trauma-competency.