Study: Mass. behavioral health sector lacking diversity
Massachusetts leads in health care, but its behavioral health network struggles to meet the needs of its residents because of a lack of diversity , according to a recent study from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
Licensure inequities prevent marginalized communities from entering the behavioral health field, compared to their white counterparts, the study shows. The report was developed in partnership with William James College, a professional psychology university in Newton.
Only 22% of behavioral health clinicians in the commonwealth are nonwhite, according to a 2024 report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation about the behavioral health workforce shortage .
The foundation's study surveyed 64 behavioral health professionals with diverse backgrounds. Most were women, Black, Indigenous or people of color, identified as LGBTQ+, or spoke another language other than English as a primary language. The professionals span five disciplines across behavioral health.
Respondents said they are financially burdened and face difficulties navigating the process of becoming a licensed professional.
The average psychology student, according to the study, faces close to $100,000 in graduate school debt. But students also receive limited financial aid, have high tuition costs and must pay additional fees for licensure — including the cost of their exam and unpaid social work internships.
"Inequities in wealth and socioeconomic status may exacerbate the burden of licensure-related costs for marginalized populations," the study says.
Additionally, respondents said the process of becoming a licensed clinician can be difficult to understand, and there is a lack of mentorship. For example, test questions are not culturally or linguistically flexible.
"For Americans, being blue means being depressed. Depending on the country — I'm from an island — for us, the blue skies and blue of the ocean means peaceful, means relaxation, means happiness," one respondent said.
Culturally loaded questions, participants in the study said, affect test scores and therefore a person's ability to become a licensed behavioral health specialist.
The study found that the right answers on multiple choice questions in the state's exam are "often informed by white and heteronormative ideals."
Findings in the report suggest the state can offer more programs in loan forgiveness, scholarships and loan repayments to students to ease their financial burden, increase supervision and mentorship from people with diverse backgrounds, and provide culturally appropriate professional licensure exams.
"Creating national exams in languages other than English will likely yield a more diverse behavioral health workforce, capable of providing linguistically appropriate services," the report says.
Another solution could be for the state to assess competency in ways other than an exam. For example, in Rhode Island in 2023, the state enacted a policy that temporarily waived the licensed clinical social worker exam for three years, a program that was to sunset this August. However, in June, the governor extended the deadline to 2030.
Since the policy was enacted, licensure rates have increased year-over-year by about 160% for licensed clinical social workers in Rhode Island. Illinois, Connecticut, Colorado and Utah also have eliminated their exam requirement.
more news from Western Massachusetts
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
