Behavioral Health Initiatives

We coordinate with local providers, educators, funders, and community organizations to grow a strong, sustainable behavioral health workforce in Pierce County.

Strengthening Pierce County’s Behavioral Health Workforce

WorkForce Central plays a convening and coordinating role to strengthen the behavioral health workforce in Pierce County. Through partnership with providers, educators, funders, and community organizations, we focus on reducing workforce barriers, supporting current workers, and building sustainable pathways into behavioral health careers.

Our work is grounded in local provider experience and designed to improve outcomes for all stakeholders, including interns, supervisors, employers, and the communities they serve.

Recent Updates

Strategies

Strategy 1:

Behavioral Health Workforce Training

WorkForce Central invests in cross-agency and agency-supported training to reduce the burden placed on community-based providers while building a skilled and prepared workforce. By coordinating training efforts across partners, we help ensure opportunities are aligned, accessible, and responsive to real workforce needs.

This approach allows providers to share expertise, strengthen capacity, and support consistent workforce development across the county without duplicating effort.

Strategy 2:

Increasing Supervision Capacity

Limited access to qualified supervisors is one of the most significant barriers in the behavioral health talent pipeline. WorkForce Central works with community-based organizations to increase supervision capacity by supporting strategies focused on recruiting, developing, and retaining supervisors.

Through shared learning, pilot funding, and collaboration, partners test new approaches that strengthen supervision infrastructure and support professionals working toward licensure while improving organizational stability.

Strategy 3:

Intern Retention Support

Behavioral health internships often require significant time commitments with little or no pay, creating barriers to entry and persistence in the field. WorkForce Central supports intern retention by providing financial incentives that help offset basic costs such as transportation and living expenses.

These supports encourage interns to persist in their training, complete required hours, and remain connected to community-based behavioral health organizations as they advance in their careers.

Strategy 4:

Behavioral Health Apprenticeship Pathways

Apprenticeship pathways provide an earn-and-learn approach that allows individuals to gain hands-on experience while earning wages. WorkForce Central supports the development of behavioral health apprenticeships that create entry points for Behavioral Health Technicians, Peer Counselors, and Substance Use Disorder Professionals.

These pathways expand access to behavioral health careers while helping employers grow their workforce in a structured and sustainable way.

Strategy 5:

Career Mapping and Pathways Awareness

Clear and accessible career pathways are essential to growing a strong behavioral health workforce. WorkForce Central supports the development of career mapping and pathways awareness tools that help individuals understand how to enter, advance, and remain in the field.

By making career options more transparent, this work strengthens the talent pipeline and helps employers attract and retain workers who can see a future in behavioral health.

Working Together to Grow the Future Workforce

No single organization can solve the behavioral health workforce challenge alone. WorkForce Central brings partners together through the Pierce County Behavioral Health Consortium to align strategy, coordinate investments, and build solutions that reflect local needs.

We invite:

  • Behavioral health providers
  • Educators and training institutions
  • Employers and supervisors
  • Funders and policymakers
  • Community-based organizations

to join us in shaping and strengthening the behavioral health workforce in Pierce County.

Together, we can build pathways that support workers, strengthen organizations, and ensure that everyone in our community has access to the behavioral health care they need.

Join the Work

If your organization is interested in partnering, learning more, or contributing to this effort, we invite you to reach out through our contact form.

Contact Us to Get Involved

Thank you to Pierce County for funding our collaborative work to strengthen our regional Behavioral Health workforce. To learn more about Pierce County’s work to expand Behavioral Health services, click here.

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