Prioritizing Peers with Lived Experience to Address the Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis
As the demand for behavioral health treatment skyrockets alongside rising staff vacancy rates, behavioral health agencies are facing a true crisis in building enough capacity to meet the need. After an extensive literature review and working with more than a dozen behavioral health agencies, Third Sector believes one of the most strategic shifts agencies can make to confront this crisis is to invest heavily in roles for individuals with lived experience, known as peers.
Increasing peer positions and expanding peer responsibilities not only provides necessary staffing capacity, but is also an