Welcome back to The Behavioral Health Career Launchpad! This week we will be discussing the skills that are needed to break into the behavioral health field. 

First things first –  as many people can attest to, securing a job in any new field can be challenging. However, as you will see in the skills outlined below, many of the requirements for jobs in the behavioral health field are also skills required in other professions. 

This is good news! This means that many of the skills you have worked to develop during your education and early career can be used to secure your next job in the behavioral health field.

The skills that employers in the behavioral health space are searching for can split into five broad categories.

Technical and Analytical Skills

Many companies in the behavioral health space are looking for candidates who are strong in their technical and analytical skills. To solve the stickiest challenges in behavioral health, candidates must be able to handle complex data to make complex business decisions. These skills can range from comfort with Power BI, Tableau, Excel, SQL, R, or Python to client relationship management databases (such as Salesforce). Candidates must demonstrate that they have used technical and analytical skills in the past to generate value.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

In addition to strong technical and analytical skills, candidates looking to break into the behavioral health field must have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Concrete skills in this category include the ability to distill complex topics into clear verbal and written communications, ability to effectively collaborate with teams across the business, and ability to mentor and lead other team members. Quincy Amekuedi, VP of Talent & Total Rewards at Headspace, shared: “In addition to qualities related to their specific functional area of the company, we are looking for candidates with strong empathy, resilience, and a passion for continuous learning to stay current with the evolving best practices in behavioral health.” The piece about empathy is key: Cynthia Grant, PhD, LCSW, MBA, Head of Clinical Excellence at Grow Therapy re-iterates that “interpersonal communication skills practiced with empathy” is a key attribute they look for in behavioral health providers. 

Project and Product Management Skills

Driving change in the behavioral health field requires strong project management skills, managing multiple stakeholders to push forward ambitious projects. If there was one word to describe the behavioral health field, it would be complex. There is complexity in the relationship between payers and providers, complexity in medical diagnoses, and complexity in treatment. Candidates must be able to navigate the intricacies of the field, consistently managing multiple tasks and prioritizing effectively. Candidates must demonstrate that they can drive projects from start-to-finish with multiple stakeholders, pushing forward change within a complex and ambiguous environment. 

Leadership and Independent Work Skills

Leadership and independent work skills are important for any role, but especially in the ambiguous world of behavioral health. Especially as we are on the frontier of innovation in this space, there will often not be a clear answer to the question of “what should we do next?” Employees must be able to take initiative and work independently, determining for themselves what the next step towards progress should be. Along with being strong independent contributors, candidates must possess leadership qualities, with the ability to drive alignment and consensus among internal stakeholders. 

Additionally, more and more employers are looking for candidates who are comfortable working in a remote environment and managing virtual interactions. Michelle Turner, VP of Clinical Talent and Delivery, shared: “Three years ago, we had very few candidates with telehealth experience applying for our therapist roles, but COVID-19 changed that significantly. I value hearing how therapists have adapted their practices for a virtual environment. For example, how do you engage a distracted 8-year-old in a virtual session?” Demonstrating the ability to work in a remote or hybrid environment will often be essential. 

Healthcare Industry Knowledge and Experience

Lastly, many job postings within the behavioral health field will recommend that candidates have healthcare industry knowledge and experience. This can be the trickiest skill for those looking to transition into the behavioral health space from another industry, but is not a complete blocker. Karishma Sharma Desai, Recruiting Manager at Grow Therapy, shared: “Proactivity distinguishes candidates from their peers during the recruiting process. At Grow, we want to see anticipatory and solutions-oriented thinking. Candidates who love a cerebral challenge and get excited by the ever-changing behavioral health landscape will do well here.” If you do not have formal experience working in healthcare, employers would like to see familiarity with the healthcare system and a desire to rapidly learn. 

Conclusion

There are many skills that employers in the behavioral health field are looking for, but as you can see, many of these skills are similar to those needed for other fields. However, there is one trait that each candidate must demonstrate: a passion for improving healthcare outcomes and making the mental health system easier to navigate for everyone.