{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T08:09:41Z","timestamp":1789114181399,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000058","name":"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000058","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000102","name":"Health Resources and Services Administration","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000102","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000016","name":"US Department of Health and Human Services","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["U81HP46529"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U81HP46529"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000016","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Cooperative Agreement for a Regional Center for Health Workforce Studies"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100005269","name":"SAMHSA","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100005269","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000102","name":"HRSA","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000102","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100022802","name":"HHS","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100022802","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"US Government"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Persistent shortages of the behavioral health workforce have prompted interest in expanding roles for bachelor's-level behavioral health support workers as a strategy for increasing care. States vary in how they regulate this workforce. This study characterized how US states define the bachelor's-level behavioral health workforce through credentialing structures, educational requirements, and scope of practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data were systematically abstracted from credentialing authorities, state administrative codes, state Medicaid programs, and government webpages using a standardized extraction guide.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Twenty-nine states had at least one bachelor's-level credential. A total of 50 credentials met inclusion criteria and were grouped into 2 categories: 20 licensed or certified credentials (9 states); 30 roles were defined solely in state administrative codes or other state guidance (22 states). Educational requirements differed across states, with most roles specifying degrees in human services or related fields and required practice hours ranging from zero to 10 000\u2005hours of supervised experience. Nearly half of credentialed roles permitted multiple entry pathways, allowing work experience to substitute for formal education.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Findings reveal substantial variation in how states define and regulate this workforce, creating barriers to workforce planning, interstate mobility, and service delivery consistency.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/haschl\/qxag222","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,22]],"date-time":"2026-08-22T11:40:59Z","timestamp":1787398859000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Characterizing the credentialed bachelor's-level behavioral health support workforce: a national descriptive study"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3146-496X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brianna M","family":"Lombardi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4436-4407","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lisa D","family":"Zerden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7463-9454","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Gaiser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, NC 27599 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026091103164170900_qxag222-B1","author":"Gazda"},{"key":"2026091103164170900_qxag222-B2","author":"Health Resources & Services Administration"},{"key":"2026091103164170900_qxag222-B3","volume-title":"Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health","author":"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration","year":"2019"},{"issue":"1","key":"2026091103164170900_qxag222-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/haschl\/qxae148","article-title":"Aligning training, regulation, and payment policy to advance the behavioral health workforce","volume":"3","author":"Lombardi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Health Aff 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