Announcement: 2025 Oregon Behavioral Health Talent Assessment
The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) has released the 2025 Oregon Behavioral Health Talent Assessment Report, developed in collaboration with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP). This comprehensive report addresses the state’s critical shortage of behavioral health providers—particularly in rural and underserved areas—and offers actionable strategies to strengthen and sustain the workforce.
The assessment identifies key barriers, including high burnout, low compensation, and systemic inequities, and outlines recommendations to address them.
These include:
- Expanding educational pathways, early career exploration, and outreach to underrepresented communities
- Strengthening compensation, reimbursement, and benefits
- Enhancing data collection and workforce alignment across systems
The full strategy also emphasizes:
- Defining clear career pathways from high school through postgraduate education—and including lived experience pathways
- Coordinating cross-sector partnerships to align education, training, and certification access
- Building organizational resilience through culture, onboarding, supervision, and leadership development
- Integrating access and representation into every aspect of workforce development
“This roadmap provides a clear path for advancing representation and access in the workforce, retention, and career growth in the field. The solutions outlined here are designed not just to fill jobs, but to create sustainable, fulfilling career paths that reflect and serve Oregon’s diverse communities.”
— Susan Lange, Senior Program Director, AHP Workforce Innovation Lab
Building on this vision, the report pairs its recommendations with practical, data-informed strategies to guide decision-making and investment.
“Through our work with HECC, we’ve seen how strategic, evidence-based recommendations can create real opportunities to build a stronger behavioral health workforce.”
— Allen Fowler, Senior Consultant, AHP Workforce Innovation Lab
Download the 2025 Oregon Behavioral Health Talent Assessment Report
Explore AHP’s Workforce Innovation Lab
About Us
Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) creates powerful solutions to improve health and human services systems. By partnering with the federal government, states, municipalities, healthcare systems, and nonprofits, we help people experiencing the greatest disadvantages lead full and productive lives. We are national leaders in training and technical assistance, research and evaluation, publishing, and dedicated consulting. On issues from workforce development to mental health, substance use disorders to housing and homelessness, we help our clients enhance behavioral health care through systems change. AHP was founded nearly 40 years ago to develop solutions for some of the biggest social infrastructure challenges across the nation. Our company has offices in metro Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Tampa. Find out more at www.ahpnet.com.
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