Welcome to this week’s installment of the Behavioral Health Career Launchpad. In case you missed it, over the last eight weeks we have covered a number of topics including what roles are available in behavioral health tech,  how to evaluate company culture, and how to crush your interviews.

This week we are going to be discussing the rewards and challenges of working in behavioral health tech, and making the case for why the pros outweigh the cons. 

Challenges of a Career in Behavioral Health Technology

We are going to start with some of the challenges that you may face while working in the behavioral health technology sector. Now, this section is not meant to scare you! But as we mentioned last week in our interview with Dr. Clare Purvis, entering the behavioral health technology sphere requires a level of pragmatism on what can be changed quickly and what may take a bit more time.

There are a number of challenges you may face while working in behavioral health technology: 

1. Behavioral health is a highly regulated field: This is most likely not a surprise to our readers, but behavioral health is a highly regulated field. Companies in the space must navigate strict HIPAA and data privacy laws or FDA regulations for digital health products. New products and innovations in this space must be careful that their offerings are in compliance with these regulations, withholding the utmost respect for patient privacy and safety. Compared to other industries, this means that new products or innovations may take a bit longer to go-to-market as you ensure that all of the requisite requirements are made. 
2. We must bridge clinical and technical expertise: Sometimes, it can feel like clinicians and technicians do not speak the same language. That can cause some friction as behavioral health technology companies aim to integrate the expertise from both sides. Although it may be challenging, it is incredibly important for clinicians and technicians to come together to build solutions, as one cannot succeed without the other. 
3. Behavioral health has traditionally not adopted technology very quickly: Much like the rest of the healthcare industry, implementing new technologies can be very difficult. Especially in the behavioral health space, the adoption of technologies such as electronic health record systems have been inconsistent and slow. For companies in the behavioral health space, having users that are not used to experimenting with new technologies may mean that more time is spent helping users adopt a particular tool. It is critical for companies to spend the time ensuring that their product is as easy to use as possible to ensure adoption. 
4. Burnout is a common issue: As discussed previously, due to the emotional nature of working in behavioral health and the amount of innovation needed, it is easy for individuals to become burnt out. As an employee in the space, you must be proactive in managing and preventing your own burnout, however works best for you.

Rewards of a Career in Behavioral Health Technology

So now that you are aware of some of the challenges, we want to focus on just a few of the many rewards of a career in the behavioral health technology space. 

The list is long, but here are some of the rewards that we wanted to highlight: 

1. Your work will be purpose driven: Many people are drawn to the behavioral health technology industry because their work on a day-to-day basis will be purpose driven. Each company in the space is working hard to alleviate the burden of mental health concerns, and as an employee you can contribute to that purpose each day.
2. Working on innovative products and offerings: The flip side to #3 above is that because behavioral health has not adopted technology very quickly, there is still so much room for innovation in the space. Behavioral health care delivery is very different from delivering primary care (for example), and therefore we need to reimagine how mental health care is delivered.
3. You will be able to collaborate with individuals from many different disciplines: Because we have to bridge clinical and technical expertise (see #2 above!), a massive pro of working in the behavioral health technology industry is that you will be able to meet and interact with individuals from a variety of different disciplines. If you enjoy learning from people from a variety of backgrounds, this industry is for you!
4. There is a high demand for growth in this sector: Over the last couple of years, we have seen a boom in the number of companies addressing various challenges surrounding mental health. Despite this, the segment is still fairly nascent, lending to a high demand for growth in this sector. Many of the current companies in the space will continue to grow at a rapid pace, providing a fantastic career trajectory and impact for those who are interested.
5. You can help drive systemic change: By working to ensure that mental healthcare is accessible and user-friendly, you will be working to reduce the stigma that still exists around utilizing mental healthcare. Although the stigma around mental health has gotten better in past years, there is still a lot of work that we need to do. Reducing this stigma will require that everyone can access mental healthcare, and working on innovative solutions to make that statement true will drive systemic change. 

Conclusion

If you are passionate about mental health, we cannot recommend a career in behavioral health technology enough! Despite the challenges of working in the space, there are many rewards that greatly outweigh the challenges. We will continually encourage the best and the brightest to seek a career in behavioral health technology as we need lots of minds coming together to solve the biggest problems.