Research Spotlight: Addressing the shortage of mental health professionals in primary care settings
The healthcare model of the future recognizes the need for additional skilled mental and behavioral health professionals in the primary care environment. There is a shortage of mental health professionals in Texas who are trained for intervention in primary care. With funding from the Sholar Foundation, Dr. Becky Scott, associate clinical professor at Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work (GSSW) in collaboration with co-PI Dr. Sungseek Moon, professor or the Carl and Martha Lindner Endowed Chair for Global Studies, and Geobani Betancourt, program manager also with the GSSW, established a two-year fellowship program they created to meet the needs of integrated behavioral health patients in primary care settings through providing training to recent masters of social work graduates employed in primary care.
“We recognized that in this very specialized field where there is a shortage of social workers, graduates were underprepared for the high level of mental health intervention skills needed in the primary care environment," Dr. Scott said. "The premium level of supervision our fellows receive will fill the gap between the need for additional behavioral health professionals and the specialized skills needed for social workers to practice in a primary care setting.”
The second cohort of fellows is coming together now to begin their learning. The program provides a paid opportunity to learn specific skills in primary care while simultaneously achieving their clinical supervision hours at no cost.
Dr. Scott added, “Clinical supervision hours for recent MSW graduates can be around $5,000 - $8,000, making the process cost-prohibitive. This program keeps MSW graduates in their chosen field of social work and provides a way for them to move forward, gaining valuable experience and learning.”
The GSSW is grateful for the work that our faculty, staff, and students are embarking on to ensure that highly skilled mental health social work practitioners are in place to meet patients' mental health and behavioral needs in primary care settings.