Abstract
The global shortage of mental health and social service professionals is a critical barrier to meeting population needs, with the World Health Organization identifying workforce retention as a key priority. The INSPIRE project addresses this challenge by identifying supervisory and organizational practices that promote the retention and engagement of behavioral health clinicians. Using the Job Demands–Resources framework, INSPIRE applied a mixed-methods design, including a survey of professionals across a large regional health system and 30 in-depth interviews using story completion and visual elicitation techniques. Latent class analysis identified subgroups with differing support needs, while reflexive thematic analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis revealed supervisory practices linked to intent to stay. Findings highlight the protective role of competency-based supervision, peer mentoring, and interprofessional communication in mitigating burnout. Participants underscored the importance of psychologically safe supervisory relationships, consistent feedback, and flexible workload management. These insights informed the co-design of a digital training module for supervisors, adaptable across cultural and organizational contexts. While developed in the United States, INSPIRE’s methodology and tools have global relevance. By integrating perspectives from practitioners, managers, and policymakers, the project demonstrates how cross-disciplinary collaboration can inform strategies to strengthen workforce sustainability in diverse settings. The approach aligns with international mental health workforce strategies, offering a transferable model to build a resilient, supported, and effective behavioral health workforce.
Presenters
Amy VargoResearch Assistant Professor, Child and Family Studies, College of Behavioral and Community Studies, University of South Florida, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Workforce Retention, Behavioral Health, Mental Health, Supervision, Organizational Support
