Advocacy in the Wake of Looming Mental Healthcare Workforce Shortages Curt and Katie chat about the looming (and current) mental health workforce shortages. We talk about the exodus of mental health providers, legislation and proposed bills that seek to address these shortages, and what modern therapists can do to advocate for the needed changes. We also talk about inadequate or harmful strategies (like cheering, scholarships, and subway sandwiches) that are often implemented by agencies and legislatures. We provide individual and collective calls to action.   It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age. In this episode we talk about: Recent data that shows that there will be huge workforce shortages in coming years The difficulty for folks in accessing mental health services in all sectors The reasons that mental health workers are leaving the profession High caseloads, higher acuity Systemic burnout, jaded supervisors The inadequate “support” of mental health workers with subway sandwiches, cheering heroes Legislation that has gone through to support healthcare workers in receiving mental health Legislation that funds hiring more workers Bills addressing scholarships to increase folks going to school for mental health The problem with scholarship bills versus loan forgiveness bills Bills working to decrease wait times for those seeking services Creating and filling in mental health treatment needs with paraprofessionals, peer counselors Navigating funding and worker shortages with new treatment planning The challenge in “steeling our hearts” to make choices in how we work and who we work for Both individual and systemic action that we can take to address these issues A request for the National Guard to come in and staff residential treatment centers The importance of taking action now to get involved in legislative advocacy   Our Generous Sponsor: Turning Point Turning Point is a financial planning firm that's focused exclusively on serving mental health professionals. They'll help you navigate all the important elements of your personal finances, like budgeting, investing, selecting retirement plans, managing student loan debt and evaluating big purchases, like your first home. And because they specialize in serving therapists in private practice, they'll help you navigate the finances of your practice, as well. They'll help you navigate bookkeeping, analyze the financial implications of changes like hiring clinicians or diversifying your income sources. They'll even help you consider strategies like the S-Corp tax election. Visit turningpointHQ.com to learn more and enter the promo code Modern Therapist for 30% off their Quick Start Coaching package. Resources mentioned: We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance! Mercer Report on Major Shortages of Healthcare Workers Senate Passes Legislation on Mental Health for Health Care Professionals Rand Report on Transforming the US Mental Healthcare System CA Bill would decrease wait times for mental health services Opinion: Exodus of mental health workers needs state response Send legislative bills to curt@therapyreimagined.com to get ideas on advocacy and responses.   Relevant Episodes: Why Therapists Quit Why Therapists Quit Part 2 The Return of Why Therapists Quit Bilingual Supervision The Burnout System Gaslighting Therapists Waiving Goodbye to Telehealth Progress Kaiser Permanente Strikes Episodes: Modern Therapists Strike Back Special Episode: Striking for the Future of Mental Healthcare   Connect with us! Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists G