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Brief Report
Published Online: 11 September 2024

A National Snapshot of Training and Technical Assistance Needs Within the Mental Health Workforce

Heather J. Gotham, Ph.D. [email protected], Felicia Benson, M.A., Ricardo Canelo, M.P.H., Elizabeth Reisinger Walker, Ph.D., Mia Navarro, M.P.H., Christina N. Clayton, M.S.W., Darice Orobitg-Brenes, Ph.D., Ibis Carrión-González, Psy.D., Kathyleen Tomlin, Ph.D., L.P.C., and Jonathan R. Olson, Ph.D.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric Services
Preprint
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20230602
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Abstract

Objective:

This report summarizes results from a national survey that aimed to assess the training and technical assistance needs of individuals who work in mental health.

Methods:

A survey was distributed to mental health workers by 10 regional centers of a large, nationwide, federally funded training and technical assistance network during January–October 2021.

Results:

A total of 2,321 individuals from 58 states and territories responded to the survey. The three training and technical assistance needs they indicated most frequently were equitable and culturally responsive services, co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, and mental health awareness and literacy.

Conclusions:

The survey findings reflect the continued need to address inequities in mental health services, particularly for communities of color. In addition, a cluster of topics (i.e., mental health awareness and literacy, trauma-informed care, crisis services, grief, and provider well-being) stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the nation’s mental health.

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Supplementary Material

File (appi.ps.20230602.ds001.pdf)

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Preprint

History

Received: 4 December 2023
Revision received: 29 March 2024
Revision received: 13 May 2024
Revision received: 9 July 2024
Accepted: 18 July 2024
Published online: 11 September 2024

Keywords

  1. continuing education
  2. education (nonmedical)
  3. staff training/inservice
  4. cross-cultural issues

Authors

Details

Heather J. Gotham, Ph.D. [email protected]
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Felicia Benson, M.A.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Ricardo Canelo, M.P.H.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Elizabeth Reisinger Walker, Ph.D.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Mia Navarro, M.P.H.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Christina N. Clayton, M.S.W.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Darice Orobitg-Brenes, Ph.D.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Ibis Carrión-González, Psy.D.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Kathyleen Tomlin, Ph.D., L.P.C.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Jonathan R. Olson, Ph.D.
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California (Gotham, Benson, Canelo, Navarro); Southeast MHTTC, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta (Walker); Northwest MHTTC, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle (Clayton, Olson); National Hispanic and Latino MHTTC, School of Medicine, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Orobitg-Brenes, Carrión-González); National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Tomlin).
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Gotham ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

This brief report was prepared with funds from cooperative agreement SM-18-015 with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).The views contained in this report do not reflect the official position of SAMHSA or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No official support for or endorsement of DHHS or SAMHSA findings described in this report is intended or should be inferred.

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