Why Behavioral Health Recruiting Has to Get More Strategic—Now More Than Ever

4 Ways to make your recruitment efforts stand out

Let’s be real—recruiting in behavioral health is tough right now.

The demand for mental health services is skyrocketing, but finding and keeping good clinicians? That’s another story.

Mental health organizations are all fishing from the same small pond of clinicians, and if they want to stand out, they have to get personal. Clinicians, from early career to seasoned vets, are all about building relationships from the very beginning.

It's not enough to just post a job and hope for the best. The most successful hiring processes are thoughtful, strategic, and—most importantly—focused on clinician wellbeing, not just filling a slot on a team.

This was quite clear as I made my way through Motivo’s trends report - Workforce Trends: Behavioral Health in Focus. After reading the second trend about how different organizations approach recruitment, I was encouraged to write a follow-up just for practical solutions.

I shared these insights with clinicians who might be on the receiving end of these efforts or building solutions themselves to hear their experiences, insights, and recommendations.

I had some incredible conversations with Motivo’s Supervisor Advisory Council and three clinicians working in different parts of the country. They represented clinicians all over the country, with diverse license types and clinical backgrounds, but all shared similar experiences and recommendations for more intentional recruiting in behavioral health.

They all shared unique perspectives on what’s working (and what’s not) when it comes to recruiting and hiring in behavioral health.

And if there’s one takeaway, it’s this: A little innovation and a lot of relationship building are the keys to successful recruitment.

Here are four ways to make your recruitment efforts stand out:

1. Hiring for the right fit, not just filling a seat

Dr. Shatiea Blount, an LCSW and group practice owner in Maryland, put it perfectly—recruiting should be about finding the right people, not just available people. That means being intentional about who you bring into your organization.

“There has been a shift in how we recruit therapists, but it’s a welcomed one,” Dr. Blount told me. “We need to be intentional about prioritizing the experiences of our clients and the clinicians that will ultimately serve them.”

She’s right. Too often, circumstances may have recruitment teams focused on whether someone can do the job by meeting the basic requirements, rather than whether they are mission-aligned and want to stay and grow with the organization.

Dr. Blount puts this principle into action by leading with her practice's mission and vision for quality client care, specifically for the communities her practice services, from day one. She's created something special—an incubator for therapists on their licensure journey. Here, they gain the experience and oversight needed to serve the community while developing into competent, confident clinicians. This approach isn't just about filling positions; it's about nurturing the next generation of therapists for however long it takes for them to get licensed.

This model is an example of how investing in clinician development can transform recruitment from a transaction into a partnership. When organizations create spaces where early-career therapists can grow professionally while serving their clients, they're not just filling positions—they're building a sustainable future for behavioral healthcare.

It's a powerful reminder that the most effective recruitment happens when you prioritize fit and alignment over simply filling a role.

The key to finding meaningful alignment? Make sure your hiring process authentically reflects your values. Here's how:

• Ask questions about mission alignment—Does this person believe in what your organization stands for?
• Use live role-plays to see how they think and respond in clinical settings.
• Talk about career goals early on—Are they looking to start their own practice in a few years? What support do they need now?

2. The system itself is making hiring harder

We can’t talk about recruitment struggles without acknowledging the bigger structural issues at play. Dr. Blount is actively pushing for policy changes because, as she pointed out, some of these hiring struggles are “built into the system”.

“In Maryland, pre-licensed clinicians serving clients in private practice can’t bill Medicaid,” she said. “We have a mental health workforce crisis, but we’ve also limited the pathways early career clinicians can take advantage of to have both a meaningful learning experience and maximize opportunities with communities in need.”

Many pre-licensed clinicians prefer the specialized professional development experience that private practices offer while also wanting to serve communities with the greatest need. Dr. Blount discussed the frustration she and her supervisees feel about the challenges they face doing this.

And she’s not alone in this frustration. Across the country, pre-licensed clinicians are struggling to find jobs that provide restorative, clinical supervision that prioritizes their clinical development, professional growth, and wellbeing as a clinician, while also paying them a livable wage.

This is often the result of a system that can feel disjointed at times. To raise awareness about these and other experiences for pre-licensed clinicians, Dr. Blount is collaborating with local and state officials, as well as lobbyists.

Hiring managers and behavioral health leaders must be part of policy conversations too, as workforce restrictions, payment issues, and a lack of quality supervision are making recruitment more difficult.

3. Supervision can make or break recruitment and retention

If there’s one thing that kept coming up in my conversations, it was the importance of good clinical supervision. Claire Stangle, a pre-licensed clinician in Minnesota, talked about how supervision can sometimes feel like an afterthought, without specific focus on her needs.

Claire is on the licensure journey after entering mental health as a second career. We discussed how supervisors are responsible for ushering their supervisees into the field. They have the opportunity to support pre-licensed clinicians' wellbeing, professional development, and clinical competence.

Supervisors play a crucial role in modeling ethical practice, fostering resilience, and helping supervisees navigate the challenges of entering the mental health profession. Through mentorship and guidance, they can help shape not only their supervisees' clinical skills but also their understanding of self-care, professional boundaries, and the importance of continued learning in this evolving field.

Paul Fitzgerald, a seasoned LCSW supervisor and group practice owner in New York City, echoed this sentiment but took it a step further—supervision isn’t just about training, it’s about building a relationship.

“I set clear frameworks from day one,” Paul said. “That way, supervisees know what to expect, how I’ll support them, and what we’re working toward.” Paul went on to discuss how building strong relationships with his supervisees provides them the trust and support to develop as a clinician, but more importantly for them to know they have someone in their corner throughout their journey.

Organizations that want to improve recruitment have an opportunity to reimagine how they handle supervision. That means:

• Providing opportunities for clinicians on the licensure journey to have access to supervision that is structured with them in mind and intentional about supporting the whole clinician, not just administrative check-ins.
• Covering the cost of supervision when possible—it’s a major financial burden for pre-licensed clinicians.
• Creating a culture of mentorship and care, not just oversight.

4. Pay and work conditions still matter—a lot

It’s no secret that behavioral health salaries often don’t align with the demands of the job. However, beyond pay, how organizations manage workload and benefits is just as crucial to retention.

Many of the clinicians I spoke to understood the balance behavioral health organizations must strike, because it is a fee-for-service business. Clinical productivity ensures higher salaries and organizational sustainability.

While clinicians understand this business reality, those I interviewed articulated specific challenges with the productivity model and offered thoughtful solutions for creating more sustainable practices.

Claire shared that at a previous workplace, if she didn’t meet client contact hour quotas, she lost benefits. That kind of punitive approach to productivity isn’t sustainable—it leads to burnout and, ultimately, high turnover. She opted for an environment that is more understanding of the various responsibilities clinicians have and offer the benefit of supervision to support her development.

The most successful organizations find ways to optimize productivity while investing in clinician development, ensuring adequate time for documentation and care planning, and fostering a culture that values both efficiency and clinical outcomes.

Paul also pointed out that offering quality clinical supervision can make the difference on someone’s journey. It can be “the difference between them getting licensed or not, simply because they have the support to lean into the challenges of the journey.”

Effective clinical supervision nurtures more confident and competent providers, enhancing their self-efficacy, professional identity, and meaningful connection to their work. Beyond skill development, quality supervision creates a foundation for sustainable practice and deeper engagement in the therapeutic process.

If organizations want to attract and keep talent, they need to:

• Offer competitive pay, incentives, and benefits that reflect the level of responsibility clinicians take on.
• Ensure reasonable caseloads and provide assistance based on the amount of clinical work being done.
• Offer meaningful employment benefits, such as high-quality clinical supervision, that prioritize clinicians' well-being—equipping them with the support and skills needed to thrive and sustain a long-term career in the industry.

What’s next? A more thoughtful approach to hiring

So where does all this leave us? The behavioral health workforce isn’t going to magically expand overnight, but organizations can take a more thoughtful approach to recruitment right now.

Five takeaways for better recruiting:

1. Hire for alignment, not just availability—The best clinicians aren’t just looking for a job; they’re looking for a place where they can grow and thrive.
2. Engage in workforce advocacy—Recruitment struggles aren’t just about individual hiring decisions—there are structural barriers that need to be addressed.
3. Rethink clinical supervision—It should be a structured, meaningful experience that helps new clinicians grow, not just another box to check.
4. Offer fair pay and benefits—Competitive salaries, benefits, and reasonable workloads aren’t just perks; they’re essential for keeping good clinicians around.
5. Invest in long-term relationships—Hiring should be personal. Clinicians should feel like they belong in your organization, not like they’re just filling a vacancy.

At the end of the day, recruiting in behavioral health isn’t just about getting people in the door—it’s about building a workforce that actually wants to stay. That takes strategy, intention, and most importantly, a commitment to the people who make this work possible.

About the writer:

Dr. Carla Smith serves as the Chief Clinical Officer at Motivo, where she leads clinical quality, compliance, and best practices for supervision and continuing education.

She is a thought leader in clinical supervision and provider-first workforce solutions, with published work exploring best practices in virtual supervision, clinical quality measurement, and retention strategies in behavioral health. Her research and writing focus on creating sustainable, high-quality supervision models that support provider well-being while improving client outcomes.

Additional resources:

Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages and State Resource Systems from the National Council of State Legislatures

6 Strategies to Enhance Talent Acquisition and Retention in Substance Use Recovery and Behavioral Health Agencies from Therapy Brands