Behavioral Health Program

Supporting systems that help people and communities thrive since 1955

WICHE’s Behavioral Health Program (BHP) has two main goals:

To help Western states best serve the behavioral health care needs of their residents
To develop, prepare, and continuously improve the behavioral health care workforce

The WICHE BHP pursues these goals through diverse means in three priority areas:

Systems improvement to contract directly with states to optimize their delivery of behavioral health care
Workforce development to help states assess, plan for, and meet their behavioral health workforce needs with a focus on adoption of evidence-based practices
Research, data, and evaluation to advance behavioral health knowledge and promote sound public policy

The BHP staff and consultants include psychologists, social workers, policy experts, researchers, and more – all who have earned strong reputations as thought leaders in their areas of expertise, and who are as passionate in their purpose as they are diverse in their skill sets.

Like other WICHE programs, the BHP expands the capabilities of its partners by promoting innovation, cooperation, resource-sharing, and sound public policy.

The BHP imagines a future in which no one, however emotionally or geographically isolated, is limited by behavioral health challenges.

Graduates of the Alaska Psychology Consortium 2018

Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center

Rural Psychology Internship Consortia

Together with Veterans

We partner on a new, federally funded center to develop and maintain a regional network to support resource-building, training, technical assistance, and workforce development.

We support the administration of year-long programs for doctoral interns to build the behavioral health workforce pipeline, particularly in rural or remote areas, in six Western states.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, we are developing and piloting a multi-platform suicide prevention program to assist veterans in rural communities.

Learn More

WICHE Behavioral Health VP Dennis Mohatt, with partners from WICHE's U.S. Pacific Islands membership

In Focus

WICHE VP Honored by APA Division

Dennis Mohatt, WICHE vice president for behavioral health, was nominated and selected for the 2019 Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology Award by the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), American Psychological Association Division 27.

Lynn Fallin, Behavioral Health Oversight Council

“I’ve especially appreciated WICHE’s timely responses to our needs, especially related to adult mental health and the Hawaii State Hospital. Their flexibility on emergent needs to improve rates, quality, and monitoring have been invaluable.”

— LYNN FALLIN

RETIRED DEPUTY DIRECTOR, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
STATE OF HAWAI’I

“The WICHE BHP staff not only know the mental health field but also communicate this knowledge in a user-friendly way that a layperson can understand.”

— MARK BERGESON

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF POLICY & PLANNING
WASHINGTON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COUNCIL