Health Care Workplace

Behavioral health care workers need increased training to meet the changing realities of today's practice

Behavioral health care workers confront problems ranging from drug addiction and depression to psychosis. Unfortunately, many of these workers lack the training they need to handle the realities of today's practice environment, with many non-degreed staff on the front lines of care often having little or no training at all. The Conference on Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training, held in Annapolis, MD, on September 10-11, 2001, took the first step toward bridging the gaps in education and training of workers in the mental and addictive disorders field. The conference was supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS10965).

An introduction by guest editors, Michael A. Hoge, Ph.D., and John A. Morris, M.S.W., C.H.E., and the following conference papers were published in a special May 2002 issue of Administration and Policy in Mental Health 29(4/5):

• Hoge, A. "The training gap: An acute crisis in behavioral health education," pp. 305-318.
• Adams, N., and Daniels, A.S. "Sometimes a great notion...A common agenda for change," pp. 319-324.
• Stuart, G.W., Burland, J., Ganju, V., and others. "Educational best practices," pp. 325-334.
• Hoge, M.A., Jacobs, S., Belitsky, R., and Migdole, S. "Graduate education and training for contemporary behavioral health practice," pp. 335-354.
• Daniels, A.S., and Walter, D.A. "Current issues in continuing education for contemporary behavioral health practice," pp. 359-376.
• Morris, J.A., and Stuart, G.W. "Training and education needs of consumers, families, and front-line staff in behavioral health practice," pp. 377-402.
• Huey, L.Y. "Problems in behavioral health care: Leap-frogging the status quo," pp. 403-420.
• O'Connell, M.J., Gill, D., Artar, A., and others. "Student voices: Perspectives on behavioral health education," pp. 421-434.

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