David Ralston Institute launches Georgia Behavioral Health Professions Hub
Nearly all of Georgia is designated as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), highlighting the state’s critical need for a stronger behavioral health workforce.
To help address this challenge, the UGA David Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities created the Georgia Behavioral Health Professions Hub to introduce students and job seekers to behavioral health career pathways and the opportunities available across the state.
The hub was developed under the leadership of the Ralston Institute’s Wendy Tiegreen using data from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The hub is a comprehensive, Georgia-specific resource for individuals interested in behavioral health careers and includes salary expectations, education and licensing requirements, career pathways and workforce information for a variety of careers.
"Every type of practitioner recognized by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is represented," Tiegreen said. "I think when people hear that we need healthcare providers, they think about therapists, nurses and physicians, but we have thousands of opportunities around the state for individuals with a range of education and training to have a really meaningful impact in the behavioral health field.”
Since taking on the role of executive director of the Ralston Institute in January, Orion Mowbray has worked to not only help develop the hub, but also foster statewide partnerships across campus and the entire University System of Georgia to raise awareness about the new resource.
“When you create these tools, it doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t get in the hands of the right people,” he said.
The hub reflects the Institute’s mission to advance behavioral health and developmental disability research, education, service and community partnerships to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities across Georgia, Mowbray added.
“If we can grow Georgia’s behavioral health workforce, we put ourselves in the best position to expand services, develop innovative programs and implement policies that are already proven to work,” he said. “As a state, we know many of the solutions needed to address behavioral health challenges, but those solutions are difficult to implement without a strong workforce behind them.
“David Ralston consistently emphasized that even the best policies, programs and ideas cannot succeed without a workforce to implement them. Strengthening that workforce is one of the most important investments we can make in Georgia’s behavioral health system.”
The Institute plans to expand the resource over time with additional workforce analytics and tools designed to support workforce planning and development.
“Georgia has made historic investments in behavioral health, but lasting progress depends on the people who deliver those services every day,” said DBHDD Commissioner Kevin Tanner. “Our ability to expand access to care and improve outcomes for Georgians is directly tied to the strength of our workforce. That is why we remain focused on attracting the next generation of behavioral health professionals and helping more people see the incredible impact they can have through a career of service. Few professions offer the opportunity to change the trajectory of someone’s life the way behavioral health does.”
The hub is available to the public and can be accessed through the Ralston Institute website.
"This is a synthesized, curated space where this information is brought together in one place to be a tool for people interested in the future of behavioral health," Tiegreen said. "For me, it is all about the hope of bright, mission-focused people entering the behavioral health workforce to help others on their recovery journey.
“The more people learn about the value of this work, the many ways they can make a difference, and the wide range of career opportunities available – from positions requiring basic training to highly specialized professions – the stronger our system becomes. That promise of helping people discover meaningful ways to change lives is what excites me most about this resource.”